Nucleotide: The Aftermath of Lordgenome
by Zaru
Summary: Co-written and authored along with 1 over 0. Lordgenome has fallen, but the Dai-Gurren Brigade will fight a new enemy. Nia's brother and the new Spiral King. Read and Review
1. The Prince of the Earth

**Gurren Lagann belongs to GAINAX. Ribo Soma Teppelin belongs to me.**

**Written by 1 over 0**

The Earth.

The cradle of humanity, endlessly rocketing through the infinite void of space. The place where, long ago, the Creator touched down and decided, _Here shall my work be done._ And so was Humanity born.

From high above it was a patchwork of colours. The green of the forests and the deep blue of the ocean tops mingled with the pure white of snow-capped mountains and the dull brown of the copious deserts. Clouds floated freely in front of the view, obscuring large portions at once. It was a truly magnificent sight, baring all the splendours of the world for the viewer's delight.

From his perch high above the world, Ribo Soma Teppelin looked down at his future kingdom. So far from the world, isolated as he was, he thought with cold indifference of to the day he would return. Ten years he had stayed in the Satellite Fortress Ganmen _Dai-Gantei_, high in the sky, and soon he would return to the earth. To his father.

The _Dai-Gantei_ was magnificent, a massive tower-like satellite with a royal villa perched at the top of a bio-dome. Below it, a long spire connected to the main fortress, which housed all the facilities a stellar warship might need. Everything from hangars and barracks to control rooms. Near the bottom of the satellite, a huge ring encircled the base and at the very bottom, a leering face could be seen.

Ribo placed a hand on the glass that protected him from the cold of space. Even so high above the ground he could feel the wind of change blowing through him. He did not yet know what he felt, but something within him screamed that great change had been wrought.

It was in this state that his aide found him. Ribo had sensed him long before he entered, yet he allowed the aide to approach and announce himself. He felt the shudder in the deck plates as the rhinoceros Beastman knelt in customary supplication.

"What news do you bring?" asked Ribo, without turning round. The soft words drifted out, echoing slightly in the vastness of the observation deck.

"Your Eminence, I bring word from the surface. The message has been classified as being of the utmost importance." The creature's gravelly voice scratched at Ribo's ears. In it he detected just a touch of fear, as was proper for a servant when addressing his liege, yet he also detected...uncertainty?

"I trust this is no routine report, then?"

"No, your Highness. It...it concerns your father."

For a moment Ribo allowed himself a flare of hope. Was it possible, perhaps, that his father was recalling him? Yet his logical mind soon took over and crushed it.

"Speak" he commanded the aide. The Beastman cleared its throat, a sound reminiscent of an earthquake's rumble.

"Prince Ribo Soma Teppelin, this message hails from your father's palace of Teppelin. It was a pre-recorded message, to be delivered upon your father's death."

Ribo was silent. The rough-hewn beastman shifted underneath his large shoulder pauldrons and ornamented breastplate.

"Is there any information on the cause of his death?"

"None, sir. Your father never told any of his subordinates about you. In fact, with his death, there is none outside of this fortress that retains the knowledge of your existence. Therefore we have received no further reports from Teppelin."

Ribo digested this information for a moment. His father had been an immortal, the last of the great Spiral Knights. It was impossible for him to die other than through defeat in battle, which was in itself a rather improbable feat.

So who killed him?

Surely, it could not have been one of the humans that he had read about. His father had spent eons at once protecting them and keeping them suppressed. And yet, it seemed a human had developed abilities surpassing his father's.

Ribo contemplated the Earth below him. He saw beneath him the oceans, the forests, the wastelands, and the mountains. And as he looked down, he realized that with his father's passing, it all belonged to him.

_All_ of it.

"Tell communications to send a message out to all the fortresses we know of on the other side of the world from Teppelin. Announce to them the return of the Spiral Prince, Ribo Soma Teppelin, and that as of this moment their allegiance shifts to me. When they have sent the message, alert engineering. Prepare for descent to Earth."

"I hear and obey."

The aide rose, saluted, and exited to carry out his orders. Ribo smiled and looked own upon the Earth. His Earth.

He was going home.

(-)

A month had passed since Teppelin had been taken, and yet the area was still a mess. When the _Dekabutsu_ had revealed its true form, the earth beneath it had suffered the impact of former Beastman buildings, falling to the ground from enormous heights. The ground beneath the _Dekabutsu_'s hulking remains was littered with shattered glass and broken concrete. Here and there larger portions of buildings remained, leaning drunkenly to the side, driven halfway into the ground by the force of collision, and everywhere were the remains of Ganmen.

Even a month later, no significant progress had been made to turn the area surrounding Teppelin into a human settlement. In truth, it still looked much the same as it had on that day a month ago, when they had triumphed. Teppelin still looked like a battlefield, and seemed doomed to wear the scars of that long fight until every last piece of concrete had surrendered to the forces of wind and rain.

Through the sea of destruction marched a red mechanical giant, wearing twin flaming skulls upon its shoulders. Its name was _Gurren Lagann_.

It traipsed across the ground, every so often picking up salvageable parts and tossing them into the trailer attached to its back. When it came across a building that might be used, it stopped to plant a flag in the dirt in front of it. Other, more damaged buildings received a blow from its fist and crumbled in on themselves.

Kiyal sat back in the lower cockpit, looking around in boredom. She yawned once, twice, before rubbing her drooping eyes and trying to remain alert.

Simon's face appeared before her in a little window on the side of the cockpit. "Hey, Kiyal, you need a break? We've probably got plenty to take back."

Kiyal shook her head and yawned again. "Naw, I just ain't used to bein' up this early. Whatcha say we're looking for again?"

"Rossiu said to look for anything salvageable. After that battle we've hardly any equipment left that isn't broken or falling apart. Leeron's up all night trying to keep everything from exploding on us."

"Nyeh, I don't see why we can't go party like the others. It's been a month and they're still at it! Kittan makes a point of getting completely wasted at least once a week, in 'celebration' of our day of victory."

"Hey, you signed up for it. I could take you back now if you want."

"No way! What if you collapse or something, like that one time where you almost fainted because you overdid it? I'm here in case that happens!"

"Hey, what about that building over there? You think it looks like it'll stand, or should I demolish it?"

Kiyal looked out at the building in question. It looked all right to her eyes. Her gaze drifted upwards until she was looking at the sky above.

So cloudy and overcast. It'd been like that for near a week now. The older refugees were muttering that it was a bad omen, that the gods were angry at their rebellion. Kiyal never could understand superstitious types. Just because it rained didn't mean it wouldn't clear up afterwords, right? Still, for an instant, she truly believed in bad omens.

* * *

Off to the south the last act of the war played itself out on the stage of the vast wastelands. Gunfire and explosions reverberated across the desert, blossoms of fire blooming out on the sands.

Viral gave the order to fall back with gritted teeth. The pain of defeat gnawed at him as his remaining soldiers retreated. Every human Ganman he saw was, to him, a sign of his personal failure. With every passing second he resisted the urge to charge, to end it all in the frenzy of battle. Each second he had to remind himself of the men behind him, the Beastmen that would have long since surrendered if not for his presence. His men. He owed them a debt that would never be repaid.

"Come out, ya furry scum! I'll give you a lil' taste of what my family got!" roared one of the stolen Gunman over its loudspeaker.

"This is for my friends ya bastards!"

"Ya, how does it feel now, cannon fodder!"

The _Enkidudu_ swung its four swords in complex patterns, dicing up the inferior human Ganmen. Despite the extensive modifications, grunt Ganmen were no match for Viral's custom four-armed mecha. The only Gunman which had ever posed a threat to him had been the _Gurren Lagann_. Shameful fury welled up inside Viral at the memory of his disgraceful defeat at the hands of the red Ganman. He roared in frustration and bloodlust, preparing to charge

"Commander Viral! You're going too deep!"

The tinny voice of his second-in-command jarred Viral back to reality. He nodded a quick thank you to the virtual image of the snakelike Beastman and began retreating, incoming fire ricocheting off his whirling blades.

"Continue retreat to point Zeta-A!" he roared. "We'll hole up in the ravine until we can make a break for it!" His men complied, filing through the choke point. Viral himself went last.

"All right! Prepare to detonate the charges on my signal!"

"Roger!"

Viral made one last charge into the human forces, swords whistling and whirling. Shots whipped past, some pinging and spanging off the white armour. One struck sure, sending him flying back into the ravine. Two of his followers caught him, and the humans surged forward like a pack of wolves scenting blood.

Viral grinned. Just as he had planned.

"Now! Blow the charges!"

The ravine's entrance vanished in a bright conflagration, as the bombs set into the opposing walls detonated. Enormous boulders fell in clouds of dust, crushing the charging human Ganmen and blocking their path. One made it through alive, only to be dispatched by the _Enkidudu._ The surviving Beastmen cheered, whooping and roaring their approbation. Only Viral remained stoic.

"That'll stall them," he muttered, before opening a channel to his second-in-command. "How many of us made it?" The snake Beastman took a head count.

"A little more than half of us, sir!"

"Damn...that's not enough." Viral bared his teeth. "Those filthy humans...I'll destroy them, whatever it takes!"

"Sir, if I may ask...how are we getting out of this?"

The _Enkidudu_'s hand gestured to the mountain of rubble. "I didn't see any flying-types among them, but it won't take them long to break through. When they do we'll hold them at the choke point and hope they either give up or run out of Gunmen."

Viral closed the channel as his second in command began relaying the orders to the other Gunmen. A mere month ago, he would never have been forced into such a hopeless predicament. Since then he had found himself with his back to the wall time and time again, each time narrowly escaping despite the humans' overwhelming numbers.

He was suddenly struck by the cruel irony of the situation. Only a short while ago he had been the one assaulting a similar position; now, he was on the defending side. It was almost funny, and he had to fight down a wave of laughter.

He told himself very firmly not to let it happen again. He couldn't take care of his men if he was insane.

Shouts and explosions floated around the barricade. There was fighting on the other side of the rubble. Viral assumed the humans, being the animals that they were, had begun quarreling among themselves. So much the better for the Beastmen, who would have fewer opponents to fight.

The explosions and gunfire soon subsided, and then ceased completely. Viral prepared himself for the coming battle. Explosions shook his barrier of rock, and suddenly it was blown away completely.

Ignoring the flying debris obscuring his vision, Viral charged forward, ready to die in battle.

When his view cleared, he stopped cold.

The sixty or so Ganmen he had been fighting were littered in pieces on the ground. Arms and legs rolled about in the wind, coming to rest against the blasted shells. None had been spared by the new force that marched forward across the battlefield.

Every one of them was painted in shades of purple with red highlights. Unlike Viral's men, whose Ganmen were rounder and almost cartoonish, the newcomers were all points and angles. Behind them floated a _Dai-Ganzan_ minitype, also purple, and wearing on its hull a logo that Viral did not recognize. It was a spiral superimposed upon two crossed scimitars. He saw the same logo on top of a flag that billowed above the warship's bridge.

Viral gave a shout of fury when he saw what looked like _Lagann_ in the lead. He readied to charge, then paused as the Gunman came closer, the dust clearing to let him see it more clearly.

It was not _Lagann_ at all. It was demonic in its aspect, black with purple, white eyes and sharp fangs.

The machine halted and the pilot disembarked, holding what looked like a white cloth as a flag of truce. The pilot marched forward, halting at a point equidistant between the two forces.

"Sir, they completely decimated that human army!" Viral's second bleated. "And now they seem to be calling for a parley!"

"Yes, I can see that," replied Viral sharply. "I'm going out to meet them. Tell the men to wait here."

"But sir! What if it's a trick!"

"Then fight to the very last. But I don't think it is. Humans aren't nearly smart enough for that."

Viral opened the cockpit and descended from his Ganman. He strolled out to the meeting point, where the newcomers' leader, his saviour, was waiting.

He gave the human a once-over. He was clad in what seemed to be a jumpsuit with small shoulder guards and a breastplate. His hair was brown and his eyes green, his delicate and feminine face a sharp and surprising contrast to his masculine figure. Emblazoned on his breastplate was the same symbol as on the minitype's side. A pair of finely-crafted spectacles, such a thing as Viral had never seen except in pictures, sat on the bridge of his nose. He was smoking a cigar.

"I'm Commander Viral, former vassal of the late Spiral King," Viral began, trying not to hiss in irritation at the cigar smoke, which was irritating his keen nose. "Who are you?"

The human remained silent, inspecting the sharkcat with his narrow green eyes.

"Are you here to talk or what?" demanded Viral, annoyed by his manner. "If not, I've got a whole troop of men to get back to." The leader shifted his head a bit let a ghost of a smile show.

"A pleasure to meet you, Commander Viral," he said, in a rich, melodious voice. "I'd like you and your men to come with us." Viral growled and spat at the man's feet.

"Like I'd go with some dirty humans. I'll die fighting you before I surrender to you." The human, for that was what Viral was sure he was, chuckled.

"But you would not be surrendering. You'd be fulfilling your duties to your liege."

"Lordgenome is dead! I saw it! You can't fool me with your lies and deceptions!"

"Ah, but I was not referring to Lordgenome."

Fifteen ideas popped into Viral's head at once. Few of them were even remotely plausible, and some were just downright ridiculous. Only one seemed at all possible.

In that moment, Viral realized that there were still very many secrets had had not yet learned.

"I'm not sure who your leader is," he said cautiously. "But I think I might know. The question is, is it worth my time to follow him?"

"Do you not wish to see the rats sent back to their holes?"

"Of course I do!"

"Do you not wish to redeem yourself for your failure in protecting your liege?"

Viral flinched at the memory of his King's abdomen being blown out by a child who couldn't even shave.

"Yes."

"Do you not seek the answers to the questions you ask yourself even now?"

"Yes! Yes, I do! Just tell me what I need to do to know what the hell is going on!"

The human, or possibly more if Viral's suspicions were correct, pointed up into the dark and bleak sky. In that very instant, the sun broke through the brooding clouds, shining down upon them. Viral was reminded of his dead rival, and the boy who had succeeded him.

"Then come, Viral. Bring your men and follow us. Follow us to the _Dai-Gantei_, the jewel that burns in the heavens, and all will be revealed."

The curtain had fallen on the battle with Lordgenome. Now, a new play was about to begin.

**The long awaited rewrite, courtesy of 1 over 0 and myself. A shame that Largeham-sama has been gone for so long though.**

**Edited by Zaru and Juubi-K**


	2. Cometh the Hour Part 1

**Don't own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. Ribo, his knights, Dai-Gantei, and the legions belong to me.**

The palace's massive entry hall was a rich, opulent affair with its royal colours, satin furnishings and sweeping staircases leading to grand oak doors. The walls were punctuated every twenty metres with alcoves housing the finest in Beastman art, and even some pieces reputedly crafted by Lordgenome himself long ago. Great crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, throwing light around the room.

A Beastman strolled through this pinnacle of lavishness, escorted by three others, who were neither Beastman nor human. As one they entered the great oaken doors, preceded by a fanfare and an announcement of their names. The doors swung open, and the royal throne room revealed itself before them, simpler than their previous environs, yet somehow grander. It retained the colour scheme of the entry hall, yet was bare, the only piece of furniture present an enormous ebony throne with a very tall back.

Upon the throne sat Ribo Soma Teppelin, newly proclaimed Spiral King, in the midst of reading a book.

The escorts stopped in the centre of the throne room and fell to their knees. As one their heads turned to their guest, who made no such gesture of supplication, instead opting to fold his arms and look about the throne room with a bored expression.

Ribo snapped closed his book and laid it on a folding table that stood next to his throne. Within seconds a Beastman maid had taken the book and the table and carried them away into the shadows. Ribo nodded in thanks, and turned his attention to his guest. He smiled coldly in welcome as he swayed his arms out in greeting.

"Welcome to my palace, Captain Viral. Do you find your surroundings to your taste?"

Viral snorted.

"It's a bit much, if you ask me. Back in Teppelin everything was made out of rock, steel and iron, and we got along just fine.

One of his escorts, a tall man in a long coat, stood suddenly and grabbed Viral by the collar, snarling in anger.

"How dare you insult His Majesty's chambers? With that smug look and that 'you're beneath me' pose! D'you want to take it outside with me? Huh?"

"Please let the poor man down, Enzai," Ribo sighed, placing a finger to his temple. Enzai complied immediately and fell again on one knee, bowing his head.

"My apologies my Lord."

"It looks like you haven't got your dogs properly disciplined here," remarked Viral, rubbing his neck. "I think I might just leave."

"Please excuse Enzai," apologized Ribo. "His proclivities make him useful to me, out on the battlefield. He's merely looking out for my interests. But where are my manners? I am Ribo Soma Teppelin, Lordgenome's one and only heir. You may refer to me as my Lord, my Liege, your Highness, anything you like so long as it's properly respectful."

"I'm not your lapdog yet," snapped Viral, eyes narrowed. "Besides, I can hardly see the resemblance to the Spiral King." Indeed, Ribo seemed almost the polar opposite to the Spiral King's rugged countenance. Whereas Lordgenome had been tall, strong and Spartan, this _boy_ was shorter than him, fragile in aspect, and excessive in dress and accoutrements.

"I assure you, I can prove it to any standard of evidence you see fit to impose." Ribo pulled a large sheaf of documents from behind the throne and threw it at Viral's feet. "But I believe such matters to be trivial. My identity is unnecessary if I can produce results. That's all you Beastmen care for, correct? Results?" Viral snorted again.

"Fat lot of results you've been producing so far. If you could strike down the humans, why haven't you done so in the last month while they've been rebuilding?"

Ribo shrugged. "Unfortunately, despite the magnificence of my flagship, I am perilously lacking in crew to man it. You see, the Spiral King left me with only the barest of essentials: gardens to grow food, servants to tend to the gardens and myself, and barely enough technicians to keep the _Dai-Gantei_ in working order. _Dai-Gantei_ itself had no weapons systems until a month ago, and even now they are still incomplete. The first move in war is always to prepare yourself. You'd do well to remember that, Captain Viral."

Viral considered this.

"So why do you need me?" he asked suspiciously. "I assume you're aware of my...track record. In fact, why bother with me and my men?"

"Indeed," mused Ribo. "You already met Mito Khan, who delivered you here." He gestured his hand towards the feminine brown haired male, who nodded. "He has already informed me of it at length. You see, it is no fault of yours that you failed. Indeed, no Beastman on his own could stand against the force that destroyed my father. In short, Viral, you simply weren't made to fight what you fought. Even with skill, they would just overpower you."

Viral recalled that Lordgenome had said something similar before his death. That Beastmen had not been made to fight the humans, and in fact could not. It had seemed utterly ridiculous at the time, but now...

"So why gather Beastmen? Will it change anything if we cannot fight them?"

"Ah, but there is only one human the Beastmen cannot fight, Viral. What was his name again?"

"He called himself Simon. Simon the Digger." Viral's fists clenched at the memory of the child, who had required the support of what boiled down to a blue-haired cheerleader when he had first seen him. Now that former coward had defeated him on numerous occasions, with his failures serving Adiane and at the battle of Teppelin standing out as the most humiliating. Once he had had the opportunity to end it, aboard _Dai-Ganten_, but honour had stayed his hand. Now he bore the painful consequences of that fateful decision. Thymilph had been a fool; honour played no part on the battlefield.

Viral had vowed revenge. He would kill the boy at any cost, not for honour, but to pay him back for the suffering he had endured.

Even if it meant allying himself with this newcomer.

"A digger, hmm? Well I suppose it's no surprise. Rest assured Captain Viral, I will take care of this Simon the Digger myself when the time comes, and Beastmen will take care of the rest."

"I can't wait to see that happen," Viral said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Ribo's smile widened.

"Oh, but you will. As proof of my ability to produce results, I will successfully raid their settlement and raze the city to the ground." A malign light glinted in Ribo's purple eyes, making Viral feel distinctly uncomfortable.

"Are you certain you can do this?" he asked. "I believe you're seriously underestimating your opponent."

Ribo laughed.

"I can see you _are_ acquainted with military strategy. No, my good captain. I never, ever underestimate my opponents. I hope that, when you have seen my ability in action, that you will consider becoming my Lord Regent. I still need the Beastmen yet, and it will be good to have someone who can talk to them as an equal. It's understandable that, with my sudden return, some will be suspicious of my heritage. It's only natural, but dealing with it otherwise could be a serious hindrance."

Ribo rose from his chair and walked towards Viral. Enzai twitched, but did not move.

"Viral, I require your assistance. If I can successfully attack the humans, will you consent to become my regent? Will you fight by my side as I struggle for my victory to rule the heaven and earth? Will you consent to this deal? My good Captain Viral?"

Ribo stuck out his hand. Viral considered it carefully. If he shook that hand, he would be flinging himself headfirst into an unpredictable future. He would be turning his back on his former commanders and, most importantly, recognizing this brat as his superior.

Whatever it takes.

Viral took the proffered hand, taking the bargain that my well have been sent from the devil himself.

"All right, I'll consent to your little game. But I want a shot at the _Gurren Lagann_. Understand?" Ribo nodded.

"Of course, in due time." He released Viral's hand and raised his arms.

"Mito, Clora, Enzai, rise and greet your equal, Lord Viral, Regent to the Spiral King." The three rose and bowed as Viral's face contorted in anger.

"You haven't even attacked the humans!" he protested. "I'm not your toady yet!"

Ribo smiled. It was a cold smile, like that of a predator about to catch its prey.

"But Viral, there is no question. My victory is certain."

* * *

Thousands of pairs of trained feet struck the floor in orderly rhythm. The thunder of their footsteps reached into the chamber where their leader awaited in preparation for his first appearance.

Eyes closed, he leaned back in his chair. In his mind he replayed old memories, scenes from ten years ago that he had almost forgotten.

"Ribo, do you still not question your existence?" The rumble of his father's voice played itself out across his mind, exactly as it had sounded ten years past.

"No, father." His own voice, only higher, and lacking the refinement he had attained over the years.

"Who are you, Ribo?"

"I am a prince."

The feet continued marching, plodding on and on, like the rhythm of a drum. Thousands upon thousands of them. It seemed the host would never end, that it would overflow the audience chamber.

"Is that all?" His father had sounded almost disappointed.

"Yes, Father."

"You still do not wonder why you are a prince, what makes you a prince?"

"No, Father."

Around the chamber were cameras, transmitting a live feed all over the world. In the ground, in the mountains, the oceans, the tundra, the grasslands, Beastmen looked up from their daily duties to watch what would, hopefully, be hailed one day as the birth of a new era.

"You do not even wonder at the fate of your mother?"

"No, Father."

"...Very well. I shall send you off, alone."

Viral stood at the podium, once more looking the part of the proud commander he had always been. His shoddy uniform from Lordgenome's days had been replaced with a new uniform similar to those worn by the Knights. He watched as the assembly gathered, at once amazed by the sheer number of Beastmen and concerned that Ribo had not yet appeared.

Ribo remembered the day of departure. It had taken a year to build _Dai-Gantei_, high up in space, and he had spent it trying to figure out what displeased his father.

"...Father, I am leaving now. I am going to the ship you built me, to live alone, as you have commanded."

Lordgenome had not looked up from his latest project. It had been genetics then. Ribo himself had donated some of his own DNA to the research.

"Ribo. I am curious. You do not fear a life you will play out alone, with only tools and servants to surround you?"

"But father, is that not how you live?" Ribo had asked innocently.

Lordgenome had not answered.

As one the three knights had entered, marching to the front of the assembly to stand at attention. Viral took this opportunity to study them at length. Of them, only one was female; she was shorter than the other two, with green hair done up in pigtails that resembled like flowers. Her eyes were an unnaturally bright shade of green. The one next to her was slim and androgynous, with long brown hair and the same green eyes. Viral had actually looked up his files just to confirm his gender, but then again, he had once served under Cytomander. The last, Enzai, was the tallest of the three, and garbed in a long coat over his ceremonial armour. That one had short-cropped orange hair. He, too, had those peculiar green eyes. Ribo had once hinted that they were more than humans. Perhaps those eyes were a side effect? Enzai's had almost seemed to glow when he had attacked Viral in his rage.

Ribo continued along the path of his memories.

"I will grow strong, Father. I will have no need for others."

"Someday, Ribo, you will learn how false that statement is."

"Father, I promise. I will grow strong."

"Is that your only ambition? To grow strong?"

"That is not all. Father, I will become like you."

"Strange...none of the females ever repressed themselves as you have."

"Father? To whom do you refer?"

"Board the shuttle, Ribo. Go to your new home. But be ever wary. You have underestimated the pain of loneliness."

"Father, you told me to never underestimate a foe. I won't now."

Lordgenome was again engrossed in his research, and had ceased to pay attention to his son.

"...Goodbye then, Father."

"Farewell, my son. Go to your new home in the sky, to learn alone what I have tried to teach you."

The memory washed away to white, leaving Ribo's mental theatre empty. Even now Ribo did not understand what his father had meant, not completely.

But it was trivial then, and trivial now. For Ribo was about to embark on his first great battle.

Rising, he drew his cloak about him like a shield against the silence that had completely engulfed the assembly chamber. He was greeted with expressionless looks as he stepped onto the stage and strode up to the podium. He gave Viral a quick nod, acknowledging his presence, before turning to face the masses before him.

He looked out over his host, the amalgamation of Beastmen from all corners of the Earth, and inwardly he smiled. Before him was enough might to crush the mountains beneath their feet. And it wasn't even the tip of the iceberg, with so many Beastmen yet to gather.

"My subjects!" he shouted in the commanding voice he had inherited from his father. "Today...today everything changes. It has already changed once. And now, as the Universe yet reels from change wrought upon it, we shall strike our own mark upon the foundations of existence!" He took a breath before continuing, his eyes manic with passion to rile the Beastmen into a frenzy.

"My father! The great Spiral King Lordgenome. He is dead! An Immortal older than the Earth itself, has been struck down. Who dares say this is not a great change? And who has wrought this change? The humans! They have dared to break a fundamental rule of the universe; that they are to stay below, while the gods rule the surface above!"

He gestured with his hand. "But they have risen up, like the vermin they are, and even now they gnaw at the pillars of our existence. But what do you do when vermin strike? You kill them! Vermin that intrude on the realm of gods should be struck down, to be put back to their rightful place! And now, my subjects, we shall go forth and do so! We will strike the vermin a deadly blow, so they will never dare crawl out of their caves again! My Legion of the Helix! Go forth in my name, strike down the humans and bring forth a new era!"

Each commander sounded off in order.

"Northern Army, 234 soldiers assembled!"

"Southern Air Force, 376 pilots assembled!"

"Eastern Extermination Group, 551 soldiers assembled!"

"Western Naval Corps, 200 marines and 471 naval personnel assembled!"

"Teppelin Royal Defense Group, 20 soldiers assembled!" It was the snake beastman who spoke, Viral's second in command and now the troop's leader. He and his men were regarded as heroes among the rest of the Beastman forces.

"Royal Guard, 2467 Beastman elite assembled!"

"Centrallio Reserve Guard, 10,381 Beastmen assembled!" Mito Khan smirked.

"Membrus Defense Force, 322,451 Beastmen assembled!" Enzai stood and boomed with fervor.

"Army of the Underland, 55,027 soldiers assembled!" Clora stood at attention.

"Mendel Marine Corps, 20,963 Beastmen and 10,062 special forces assembled!"

From his podium, Ribo nodded, approving of Mito's idea to bring them into the fold and pledge their loyalty to the crown.

"And lastly," finished Ribo more quietly, "my own ace in the hole. My personal squadron of 661 special units..." He laughed. "My men, look at our legions! There is not a force in the world that could stop us, and this is only the beginning! Let us go forth and achieve our destiny!"

Viral could not help but feel a certain resemblance to a certain loudmouthed human and his younger brother. Charisma poured off Ribo, who had previously been soft-voiced and quiet. For the first time Viral knew how the humans had felt when Kamina had spoken. And at that moment he pledged his new allegiance.

"Long live the King!" Viral added, punching his fist into the air. He was almost surprised by his own spontaneity. "All hail Ribo Soma Teppelin, the one and only heir! All hail the Spiral King!"

RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO! RIBO!

The Beastman army soon took up the chant, and it echoed around the auditorium, growing louder with each repetition. On the surface they yelled the same thing, and the Earth itself trembled with the force of his name.

"Father...I have begun," whispered Ribo. His face contorted into a smirk that cracked into a toothy grin, his eyes burning with malice.. He had finally realized his purpose.

* * *

There was very little left to salvage in the wreckage of Teppelin, and so before long the _Gurren Lagann_ was moving on, the compartment on its back barely half-full of equipment and such. After marching a short distance it came upon the familiar profile of _Dai-Gurren_, perched amidst the wreckage. Leeron had performed a minor miracle in rebuilding the thing, although it was holding together rather shakily. The flotation sphere it had previously used had been destroyed in the battle, and Leeron had found it impossible to replicate despite the abundance of smaller flight spheres, and therefore the _Dai-Gurren_'s military efficiency had been effectively halved. Still, it served well as the temporary headquarters for the new government.

The _Gurren Lagann_ disconnected its load and dropped it on the ground before taking a quick leap onto the prow. The tall Ganman knelt and the cockpits opened, its two pilots climbing out stiffly. Both stretched eagerly, keenly feeling the effects of sitting in the pilot's seat for most of the day.

"Well, Kiyal, did you have fun?" asked Simon jokingly.

"It was all right," answered Kiyal in the same joking tone, smiling to reveal her one fang. "Still, I bet Kittan will be telling us all night about the festivities we missed."

Simon smiled knowingly, mentally speculating on Kittan's current level of intoxication.

"It's only natural. After all, a month ago we wouldn't have been able to rest for a second without fear of a Beastman attack. It's good to be free."

"Bah, they should be working just as hard as you. I mean, just who the hell do they think they are, giving all this work to the hero of the revolution while they go goof off?"

"Ask Kittan that when he gets back," joked Simon. "See what kind of response you get."

Both of them walked stiffly towards the bridge. _Dai-Gurren_ was massive, and by the time they got there all the kinks had been worked out of their muscles. Kiyal yawned once, loudly.

"Long day, huh?" asked Simon.

"Nah, not really. Mostly boredom. You did all the work, I just sat there and complained."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself now! If you hadn't come along, I'd have been all alone! It would have been twice as boring without you to talk with."

"Aw, you're so nice Simon." Kiyal laughed, a little nervously.

"Simon! Kiy...um, you're Kiyal, right?" The bright, eager voice interrupted the moment. Simon's face lit up as Nia ran up to them, waving energetically. Her hair was beginning to grow out again, and it flipped around in the wind.

"Nia!" exclaimed Simon happily. "So you guys beat us back. So how did things go?"

Nia put a finger to her chin.

"Ah, well, Rossiu and I went and visited many of the villages, and a lot of people wanted to come, but there were some that wanted to stay underground, too. I think they're afraid of the surface."

"Well, that's their choice," said Simon. "They'll overcome their fear eventually, or they'll stay underground. We can't force them." Nia frowned at this.

"But, Rossiu said that they can't stay underground. He says it won't be 'efficient'. Simon, what is this 'efficient'?"

"It means it'll take a lot of effort to make it work. But don't worry, that's what Team _Dai-Gurren_ excels at. We'll make it work."

"Hey, guys?" interrupted Kiyal. " Sorry to intrude, but can you save it until we get to the bridge? I think Dayakka's got food waiting there."

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Nia. "Dayakka wants to see you! Please come with me!"

The three made their way to the bridge, where Leeron, Tetsukan and Attenborough were busy working on the various monitors and gadgets and gizmos that populated the bridge. Attenborough's variation of "helping" involved mashing buttons randomly while Leeron tried his best to stop him and Tetsukan desperately mashed other buttons in an order to counter Attenborough's attempts to blow up the ship. In short, business as usual. Dayakka watched on without worry, trusting in his tech crew to hold things together.

"Dayakka! They're here!" called Nia cheerfully. Dayakka turned in response and waved them over to a platter of food set on a folding table. Simon and Kiyal both immediately started eating energetically. After about two minutes they had finished off the last morsel. Dayakka laughed.

"You pilots sure eat a lot!" he remarked.

"You were once a pilot too, Dayakka," said Kiyal. "Best not forget that you haven't always been captain of the _Dai-Gurren_."

"Yes, but I am now and I want to consult Simon on some strange readings we've been getting."

"Oh, you're so dramatic. It isn't a reading, only a glitch!" Leeron had apparently decided that Tetsukan could handle Attenborough alone. He leaned suggestively against the railing, a slender hand upon his cheek.

"It's been there for weeks now," Dayakka said. "You should have been able to at least identify the problem by now."

"It's a mystery, I suppose," sighed Leeron. "You see, Simon, for the last...oh, three weeks, I lose count what with all the sleepless nights... we've been picking up this signal. That wouldn't be surprising, except that we can't pinpoint its location and neither can we identify it."

"Be more specific," said Simon. "What do we know?"

"Well, let's see..." thought Leeron, closing his eyes. "Well, it's easily on par with a fortress-class ganmen...and for some reason it keeps registering similarly to the _Gurren Lagann_, only different, somehow. It's also somewhere on the other side of the world. Did you know that it's round? Well anyhow, all we know is that it's somewhere on the other side. We can't pinpoint it exactly, and our instruments shouldn't even be able to sense that far in any case."

"There, you see?" said Dayakka. "We have to investigate this. It might be important, like a Beastman fortress."

"It's only a glitch!" protested Leeron. "It's an anomaly, an impossibility! Give me a week and I'll work the kink out of the system, really it isn't surprising given the shortcuts I had to take while rebuilding this thing! Why I even had to-"

"Leeron!" yelled Tetsukan. "Come look at this!"

Everybody present rushed over to the indicated monitor. Upon it glowed a mass of green dots centered around three larger dots. They flashed rhythmically, and seemed to be moving towards the center of the monitor.

"Um, what's that?" asked Nia innocently. Simon's face was grim.

"It means we have a fight on our hands. Leeron, can you identify them?"

"Already tried," answered Tetsukan. "It's not one of ours, it's not even anything we've seen before. But they're definitely hostile. They've been sending a message out on the open channel since they showed up, have a listen..."

"KILL THE UNWORTHY HUMANS!" screamed a shrill, definitely Beastman voice. "LET NONE OF THEM LIVE! PUSH THE RATS BACK TO THEIR HOLES! KILL THE MEN AND…" Tetsukan cut it off. The atmosphere had grown very dark.

"How far are they?" asked Simon urgently.

"They're...wait what the hell?" exclaimed Tetsukan. "They're already within a couple kilometres of the city! How are they moving that fast?"

"Forget it!" snapped Dayakka. "When are we going to be able to see them?"

"Estimated time...3...2...1..."

All of them looked up towards the great windows that lined the bridge. Upon the horizon appeared what seemed to be a black cloud of dots. It quickly grew, however, soon becoming distinct as a veritable cloud of fighter-type Ganmen, flying around three larger shapes with long profiles. The cloud bore down on the fledgling city, the humans below looking up in curiosity and awe.

"Holy shit." breathed Dayakka. The fleet before him was even larger than the combined forces of Guame and Cytomander that had defended Teppelin. Simon whirled around.

"Someone find Rossiu and begin an evacuation!" he ordered. "Leeron, send a message out to all our Ganmen! Get them back there, and then work on getting the weapons going on this thing! Dayakka, move the _Dai-Gurren_ out of the city! Try to draw away their fire! Myself, I will move out to intercept them!" He ran out of the room.

"You bastards don't know when to quit, do you?" he growled as he stalked out onto the deck. Images flashed in his mind of the defenders who had died in the war. Kamina's face superimposed itself on top of all of them.

"Never again!" he vowed. "I won't let their sacrifice be in vain! I'll stop this before it ever becomes a war! I won't allow anyone else to die in battle again!"

But the Universe rarely conforms itself to the wishes of Man.

**Heres chapter 2 for ya. Not much to say really.**

**Edited by Zaru and Juubi-K. Written by 1 over 0**

**Check out our fics, you'll love them.**


	3. Cometh the Hour Part 2

**Don't own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does.**

From _Dai-Gantei_'s throne room, Ribo Soma Teppelin and his new Lord Regent watched their great fleet impassively. Ribo breathed in the air of excitement surrounding his vassals. Quietly, he reflected on how easy it was to manipulate the masses through the simple mechanic of patriotic fervor. In that way he was a master.

Rising from his throne, he decided that the time was ripe to once more put those skills to use.

"Gentlemen..." he addressed the zeppelin crews. "I ask of you not as subjects, not as subordinates, but as brothers and sisters regardless of species: what is it that you desire?"

High above Kamina City, the engineers stopped in the middle of checking the missiles to listen to Ribo's words.

The refugees below looked in curiosity to why three enormous oval shaped aircraft without faces were lingering over the city.

"Do you wish for redemption?"

Several crews of Beastmen were eagerly painting phrases such as "Eat lead and DIE!" and "Burn, human vermin!" on the missile casings.

"Do you lust for revenge?"

The captains of each zeppelin stood on the bridges of their respective ships, proud to be leading this first strike against the human infidels.

"Do you want to push these rats back to the caves from whence they came? Do you crave for their spilt blood? Do you wish to deliver unto them as they delivered unto you? Do you wish to see the third-rate Neanderthals sent once more into the maw of despair?" Ribo lifted a shot glass of amber liquid to his lips, drinking eagerly. Within one of the Zeppelins, a petty officer flipped switches.

"YES YOUR MAJESTY! WE WISH FOR JUST RETRIBUTION AGAINST THE HUMAN RACE! FOR OUR FAMILIES, OUR FRIENDS, OUR DREAMS, OUR EMPIRE, OUR CAPTAIN, OUR KING!"

Within each zeppelin several hundred Beastmen screamed the same animalistic cry. Out in the air, one thousand aerial Ganmen pilots each joined in the declaration of revenge. Viral's eyes widened at their enthusiasm whilst Ribo merely smiled triumphantly, teeth showing.

"My brothers and sisters, see before you the nest of the rats that poison our beautiful land. If you wish to take your homes back..." He raised high the hand that held his shot glass.

"THEN TAKE IT!"

He flung his arm down, sending his glass crashing into the floor to shatter into a thousand fragments.

At that exact moment, each zeppelin captain gave the signal to fire. Missiles leapt from their tubes, screaming down upon the city below, filling the citizens with sudden terror.

One special missile shot ahead of the rest, programmed for a very specific target. With unerring aim it crashed into the unfinished statue of Kamina, the city's namesake. The monument was almost instantly vaporized.

Other missiles cruised into unfinished buildings, holding people of all ages, their lives disappearing in a flash of fire and metal. More explosions rang out in a line across the now burning city. Men and women were swept up into the flame, fragments of ruined buildings goring them as they try to run. None were spared, neither the women, nor the elderly, nor the children.

Everywhere, homemade _Dai-Gurren_ flags burned in the wind

From the _Dai-Gantei_, Viral watched in morbid awe and shock. Even when he had been assigned the specific duty of eliminating surface humans, he had never seen such a slaughter. There was no resistance; what could the regular humans do to fight against a wave of guided missiles? Viral was disgusted at the lack of honour in the massacre, before he reminded himself that he had left that behind him.

Whatever it took to get back at the _Gurren Lagann_.

Whatever it took.

Missiles streaked down, leaving white contrails behind them. Bombs fell free, whistling as they fell. The already burning city was lit up with explosions, killing many who had survived the first attack.

Today was to be a day of bloodshed, a day to seize the new king's promised victory. In that instant, the gauntlet was thrown down. Fire rained down upon the vulnerable earth, and life by life Ribo wrote his challenge to the _Dai-Gurren_ Brigade. Viral looked behind him, hearing something from Ribo, who appeared to be muttering to himself.

"...atop a mountain of corpses. I build my throne atop such macabre foundations. For human bones are stronger than steel."

Chaos reigned throughout the humans' still-developing sphere of influence. Crude settlements were clustered around the Teppelin ruins, the battered, weary _Dai-Gurren_ their sole guardian. As missiles scorched the earth, carpets of flame blazed towards the human shanty-towns, with every blast bringing the onslaught and stench of death even closer.

Within _Dai-Gurren_, Dayakka desperately tried to recall the rest of the Brigade. Hopefully the whirlwind of fire and death would bring them running, even drunk as they would surely be. Until then, the city was defenseless.

Except for one red shape that streaked through the sky.

The _Gurren Lagann_ soared through the sky, prepared once again to face the impossible and come out on top. Yet even at such altitude, Simon heard within himself the cries and creams of the wounded and dying. He looked down at the path of destruction; from above, the flames took on a spiral pattern. It was a sick, twisted joke, and Simon felt bile rise in his throat.

"And to think…if they only stayed undergrou…"

He crushed those thoughts. They had fought long and hard to carve out a better home for themselves, their children, and their children's children. They would not give up and flee back to the bowels of the earth without a fight.

"Dayakka! I need updates on Kittan and the others!" he yelled. "Where the hell are they already?"

"We've managed to contact them and get them to their Ganmen, if only just. Unfortunately, they still haven't made it out of the city..."

Simon paled. If they couldn't escape the barrages, he alone would defend humanity.

Throughout all his fights, he had never truly been alone. Either Kamina or the Brigade had always backed him.

"Dammit. Where's Nia?" He feared for her safety. She should be aboard _Dai-Gurren_, but Nia was Nia...

"She left with Rossiu to organize the evacuation. For all I know she's still down there somewhere, possibly pinned down in some shelter."

Immediately Simon's stress tripled. Nia was out there in danger. He couldn't bear it if she was hurt. Like when Kamina died, he would likely lose himself again, and this time nobody would be able to pull him out.

" Have they managed to get out of the city yet?" he asked through grit teeth.

"I just told you, I have no idea where they were! But I haven't seen anyone leave the city, so they're likely holed up in a shelter somewhere."

"Looks like it's all up to me, then..." he muttered.

For the first time, he was on his own. Not even when he had fought Lordgenome had he been truly alone. Still, he reminded himself, every member of Team Dai-Gurren, dead or alive, was present on his back. And to top it all off, Nia was in danger. He had more than enough reason to end this quickly.

"We'll send backup as soon as we can, but until then you're up against major odds," warned Dayakka.

"Heh." Simon clenched his teeth. "Unlucky for the Beastmen. Major odds you say? When has that ever stopped us? In fact, I think this is Team Dai-Gurren's kind of battle!"

"Please don't do anything too reckless! We're still…"

"Dayakka, just concentrate on getting the rest of the Brigade rolling. I'll take care of all these missiles for you."

_Gurren Lagann_ boosted, taking position before and beneath the oncoming airborne titans. As he waited for them to begin spitting out explosives again, Simon prepared his own artillery strike._Gurren Lagann_'s body and limbs bristled with drill-shaped projectiles, each one charged with enough fighting spirit to utterly demolish a typical ganmen.

The skill would be in getting them to make contact.

Simon got as close as he could, waiting for the zeppelins' missile ports to belch out their next stream of explosives. He was ready for anything they could throw at him.

* * *

"That Ganmen there is interesting," remarked Ribo from his safe viewing point on the other side of the Earth. "Viral, do you recognize it?"

"Sir, that's the _Gurren Lagann_."

"Oh? So that's why your face twisted up upon seeing it. It's interesting; I believe I know what he's planning to do, and it will require quite a lot of Spiral Energy to pull it off. This will be a good test of my adversary's skills." He shifted in his seat. "Still, I think it's safe to say we no longer rule the airborne front. Send in the shock troopers." Immediately a nearby officer relayed the order to the zeppelin crews.

Almost the instant the enemy fired Simon filled the airspace with swathes of blazing green trails. Much as they had done to Cytomander's air squadron during the Battle of Teppelin, the drills punctured the missiles. A mass of deafening explosions spread in front of the zeppelins as their deadly cargo were intercepted, but a few especially fast or durable missiles carried on unharmed.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Simon, and he boosted off in hot pursuit of the escapees. One he quickly overtook, detonating it with a crushing fist. The next three drew ahead of him slightly, but with longer drills, he pierced and destroyed them. A final missile still eluded him, one of beastly size and exhausting speed. With a thought Simon created a shorter, thicker drill and fired it at the missile, which exploded in a blinding flash of light.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath. He glanced at the zeppelins, and saw the autoloaders cycling fresh missiles into tubes.

"Do they never run out?" he groaned, exasperated with their persistence. Still, he positioned himself to intercept.

On the bridge of the foremost airship, Enzai watched Simon struggle with predatory interest. Wave after wave and _Gurren Lagann_ had still not fled or broken. He let loose a dark chuckle.

"Interesting... excellent. This boy might just live up to his reputation. If the Lord Regent is correct, I may just get to have some fun after all!"

"Lord Enzai, we are receiving orders from _Dai-Gantei_. Should _Gurren Lagann_ intercept, you are all to defeat him in combat and if possible, bring the pilot and his mecha back to his Majesty alive. In addition, he wants us to send in the 105th Mendel Marine Division along with the 43rd Underland Army Division."

The orange haired man gave a deranged smile and signaled to his crew, his eyes glinting.

"Good. Tell Mito and Clora to ease off the bombardments and join me on the field of battle. We've done enough damage, and the boy is getting in the way. It's time to descend upon the vermin and smite them in person!"

"Yes, my lord!" As the crew scurried about enacting his orders, Enzai grinned viciously.

"Send a call down to the hangars, and get the mechanics to prep my _Yatano Kagami_. I will go out to meet this upstart in person."

At that moment, humans and feline Beastmen began to flood from the zeppelin hangars, plummeting to the ground, weapons strapped to their backs. With perfect timing they deployed their parachutes at once, drifting gracefully to the ground. As they landed they drew their weapons, firing at anything other than themselves.

Enzai laughed inwardly at his master's aggressive opening maneuver. Even with their prior experience against Cytomandra, it was unlikely they had ever witnessed guided missiles and airborne commandoes used so openly and destructively. Ribo was truly unfettered by the rules with which his predecessor Lordgenome had bound himself. It was a perfectly executed shock attack, and the best part was that the results were showing: of the humans' armed forces, only the _Gurren Lagann_ had yet launched, which meant either their Ganmen had been destroyed by the missiles or the pilots were killed likewise.

Or, better yet, they were all cowering in fear.

"Bring the aerial ganmen flights back to defend the ship," ordered Enzai. "Should we fail, there is a chance that the enemy will make a move for the airships. You will not allow him to destroy any of them, at all costs."

Enzai left the bridge with a swish of his coat to a chorus of "Yes, my lord." He headed for the dark core of the hangars, intent on matching his skill against this "Simon the Digger".

* * *

While Simon was taking a breather, a missile streaked by him with intense velocity to collide with a skyscraper near the _Dai-Gurren_. The boy panicked.

"Dayakka! Dayakka! Are you with me, Dayakka?"

A series of coughs and crackles were replaced by the warm, familiar voice. "Ah, Simon? Is everything OK up there?"

"The missile barrages have stopped, but now they're throwing all kinds of other things at…"

Simon narrowly dodged a series of attacking planes, easily taking them out with a rapid counterattack. Aerial Ganmen began to spread out and surround him, transforming and diving towards him en masse. Some missiles, fewer than the first waves, began streaking through.

"Dayakka, what's happening down there?"

"Looks like some kind of crack infantry are ransacking the cities! They're even holding their own against ganmen! Kittan and the others are back, but…gah!" A missile crashed into the side of the_Dai-Gurren_, and Simon's heart froze.

"Dayakka!"

"... We're fine. _Dai-Gurren_ just got hit is all! Listen, Simon, we're having a hard time coordinating everything down here. Keep those fighters away from us!"

"Leave it to me! I will rule the skies!"

Simon let his blood burn as he faced the oncoming storm. Tens, hundreds of ganmen - but none of them would be a challenge for the invincible Dai-Gurren Dan's leader.

'"It's been a while, Beast-bastards!" he screamed, working himself into a fury. "You're about to find out... just who the hell I am!" And drills began to pour out of _Gurren Lagann_'s body.

Moments later, the sky was riddled with explosions and streams of green energy.

While the Brigade dominated the aerial front, the settlements were faring far more poorly. Besides their missiles, each zeppelin carried several platoons of paratroopers, and numerous ganmen.

The paratroopers struck the ground, their gait depending on their animal half or lack thereof. The strike force's captains were the last to land, falling to the surface with an odd grace.

They were humans, but not with human qualities. An otherworldly aura surrounded them, and behind visored helmets each one sported glowing green eyes. They looked around themselves calmly, seemingly distant from the chaos that raged around them. The agglomeration of rogues and soldiers made its way steadily through the streets, meeting human opposition for the first time.

They quickly gained the upper hand. Bazookas smashed ganmen hulls into scrap metal, buildings were looted and wrecked, men and women gunned down viciously. The settlements had no chance.

For a while, it was no longer war. It was simply massacre.

As the shock troopers ran through the streets, dispassionately gunning down fleeing humans, destroying grounded ganmen with their bazookas, one boy cautiously peeked over a windowsill from the top floor of a new apartment and watched as all his work was laid to ruin.

"No, no, no, no, no, this isn't good," muttered Rossiu fearfully. "And...what on earth? There are humans with them! Fighting alongside them! What kind of trickery is this?"

"Rossiu, we cannot fret about such things right now," replied Nia, holding several children close. "We need to focus... if we don't get ourselves and these children to a safer place..."

"What safer place? There's nowhere secure enough! We'll be slaughtered if we step into the streets! It's best if we stay put and hope none of them find us..."

The children whimpered and wailed, frightened by Rossiu's words. Nia, seeing their discomfort, crouched down on one knee and tried to offer them hope.

"Please listen... you might not believe me, but the situation is not as bad as it could be. We've always won before, right? And..." She smiled and looked up at the sky through the one window.

"And Simon is taking care of those nasty things up there. So we can calm down and focus on getting out of here, yes?"

Reassured, and glad of a distraction, the children began to look for better hiding places. Nia turned back to her companion.

"Rossiu, have hope. I know Simon will come through for us!" Rossiu took a deep breath.

"Easy for you to say…" Before he could finish, the children screamed.

Heavy, thundering footsteps and the scraping of metal could be heard outside. They heard yelling from the shock troopers followed by several blasts.

"Oh no. They've found us, I knew it..." lamented Rossiu, ducking down behind the windowsill.

"Wait, Rossiu!" Nia exclaimed as she recognized a familiar shape.

It was a gleaming ganmen, red and pink, with an oversized rifle barrel on top of its head.

Nia knew it well; a custom made as a more sniper-friendly alternative to the _Dayakkaiser._ And its pilot...

"Hey, Nia, you in any of these crumbling sheds?" Nia and Rossiu were overjoyed.

"Yoko!"

"Thank goodness we found you. It'd have been terrible for you two to be missing."

"Shee? I toldja, they'sh all fine!"

The _King Kittan_ stumbled past the _Yokkaiser_, with the _Twin Boukun_ following suit. All three pilots were clearly intoxicated.

" Kittan!" reprimanded Yoko. "Stay behind me like I told you to! God, I am never going to a party with you again! In fact, I think I'll get rid of all our alcohol after this!"

"Haha! Don'tcha, don' give me any of the ol' mouth, woman! You'sh gonna need a fron... a front... guy! And th'ncredible Kittan's yer man!" Yoko sighed.

"Listen, Nia. Despite our... state, we've managed to clear out all the soldiers between us and Dai-Gurren. If you can get back along the path behind us, you should be safe. Get going before they manage to push us back again!"

"I will! Thank you, Yoko!"

Kittan lumbered into the distance, the _Twin Boukun_ stumbling along behind it. Yoko yelped and ran after them

"Get back here, you idiots! What if you spring a trap or something? We don't know what's ahead, you might..." Yoko's admonishments faded into the streets ahead. Rossiu and the children stared after them, wondering if they would see another sunrise.

"See, what did I tell you?" Nia interjected quickly, sensing the mood. "Our Team Dai-Gurren will never let us down!"

* * *

Simon closed his eyes. The air had been cleared of ganmen, and he was given a chance to sit back, rest, and take in sweet gulps of oxygen. The fight had been one-sided, but undeniably hectic, and he knew there was worse yet to come.

"Simon! How are things?" called Dayakka once more.

"I've repelled the aerial attack... but I'm pretty beat, and I don't know what else these guys have up their sleeve."

"Well, we have good news at last. The fight on the ground's evening out. It's still tough, but Makken and Iraak are sober enough to keep the frontline steady. We might be able to send you backup in a minute.'

"...Okay. Thanks, Dayakka."

"And to top it all off, Leeron pulled another miracle and got the weapons going! Soon we'll be able to cover the air with the flak cannons, and you'll get a well-earned br…"

"Hold that thought, Dayakka," interrupted Simon as a strange apprehension ran through his body. "I don't think I'll be getting any breaks yet." He tensed, and raised _Gurren Lagann_'s fists, eyes peeled to spot the intruder. As it happened, the intruder had no worries about being spotted.

A bulky red fighter plane with indigo plating at its peak appeared in his peripheral vision, streaking at the _Gurren Lagann_. Two long blades ran down the wings, and as it passed it tried to use them to slice at Simon. Simon deftly dodged and fired a drill in response, which the newcomer dodged easily.

"I'm impressed, Simon the Digger. That was an entire air force you dispatched," oiled the fighter jet. "I can see why the newcomers speak of you like a living legend." Simon narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't ask for praise. Now are you here for small talk or to fight?"

"Much as I would like to, I don't think I can stomach your manners. Y ou should show a little respect to your elders in the art of war."

"Why should I!"

"You shall see soon enough…boy."

"Look, if you're not going to give straight answers, there's no point in talking like this. Let's just get down to it, shall we?" Simon summoned a drill as the jet flew circles around him.

"Ohohoho. A challenge, is it? You think a pup like you has the right to challenge Enzai Golgi, Royal Knight and Leader of the Membrus Guard? I shall prove you wrong!"

Simon gritted his teeth, and the gauge in front of him rose.

"My Gurren Lagann will pull me through! You'll see why they call me a legend!"

"Good! I can't wait to match my _Yatano Kagami_ against the famed red ganmen! I'll enjoy this fight!"

The jet sped towards the _Gurren Lagann_, spitting bright fire from the beam cannons around its cockpit. _Gurren Lagann_ dodged deftly, narrowly avoiding the wing blades before returning fire with its drills. The jet turned to make another pass. They danced back and forth until Simon detached _Gurren_'s shades, deflected the lasers, and made a swing at the jet.

"Your mine!" he roared as he prepared to slice the jet in two. His eyes widened in shock as a hand morphed out of the jet to grab the shades before they struck. A leg morphed out to kick the _Gurren Lagann_, sending it crashing into the ground.

"What the…" Simon gasped once he had regained his bearings. Where they jet had once been now floated a ganmen, similar in size to the _Gurren Lagann_.

"Impressive, making me transform," praised Enzai. "I underestimated you, boy. It appears what you showed against my hordes was no indicator of your true strength... but even at this level, you are doomed. My comrades and I will make short work of you together."

Two more ganmen sailed into view. One was, surprisingly, a smaller specimen, much like _Lagann,_ yet with a more savage and demonic aspect, its armor a mix of dark grays and blacks. Its companion was a tall, strong-jawed mecha wrapped in an armored mantle, though whether for style or protection Simon could not tell.

"Against three at your level," leered the demonic _Lagann_, "you stand no chance. Give up, Simon the Digger. If you would come with us..."

"Those words," said Simon with a determined smirk, "are words I'm afraid I've forgotten. 'Give'? 'Up'? Yeah, I'm sorry, but you've lost me. Can you define that for me, oh Royal Knight?"

"Overconfidence will be your downfall, brat!" snapped a female voice from the cloaked Ganmen.

"Bullshit! All it means is that I'll be able to face you down without fear!"

Simon charged, pummeling Enzai once more. The smaller mecha zipped in, knocking him off balance, and the cloaked ganmen caught him with a painful kick. Enzai followed through, beating Simon until he was trapped between the three ganmen.

The situation was dangerous, but still he was not pushed to his limit. He zoomed skywards, all three mecha in hot pursuit.

"Time to use that trick again..." he muttered. The gauge filled with energy. The drills appeared once more, and he turned to fire them at his adversaries. Enzai was knocked aside. The Lagann-type was sent spinning away, but the cloaked one threw its cape out and absorbed the projectiles.

Still, he had created an opening.

He flipped and boosted down, straight past the cloaked ganmen, and slammed into Enzai's mecha. They carried on straight into the ground, plowing a furrow in the earth.

But Enzai was not finished, and he punched the _Gurren Lagann_. Simon stumbled back before jetting into the air once more, only to meet with the cloaked ganmen's fist. The _Gurren Lagann_ crashed back into the ground.

The cloaked Ganmen came down and approached, ready for the kill. Drawing back its fist, it punched down at the prone _Gurren Lagann_, but Simon was able to react in time and caught the fist instead. He rolled to his feet, caught another punch, and threw the cloaked ganmen at Enzai. Simon manifested a drill, preparing to charge the two entangled Ganmen, but was interrupted by the demonic _Lagann_, who charged into his side and threw him off balance. This gave the other two time to recover, and Simon was forced to jet into the sky again.

And so they danced, a destructive ballet of attack and counterattack. As the fight wore on, it became apparent that Enzai had by far the greatest offensive power of the three, while the cloaked ganmen was the best armoured. The little ganmen was presumably a hidden ace, a trump card to be kept in reserve, completing a potentially powerful combination.

As things stood, however, the cloak's defense coupled with Enzai's force were keeping Simon on the defensive. He would have to kick his fighting spirit up a notch if things did not change.

Once again he found himself pursued through the sky. Turning once more, he attempted to summon the drills again. Instead he summoned blood from his lungs. He coughed, tasting an iron tang.

"Did I…use too much!" yelled Simon in shock.

A headbutt from the mini-ganmen threw him far away. The trio laid fire on him as he tore through the air, unable to stop, explosions riddling the _Gurren Lagann_'s hull, until suddenly two pairs of arms caught and braced the stricken ganmen.

"Cowaaaards! You beasht guys think ya can knock ol' Simon round by gangin' up... 's not the way men do stuff!" yelled the one on his right.

"Don't worry. Your reinforcements are here, Simon." reassured the ganmen on his left. Yoko and Kittan had arrived, making the field even once more.

No, more than even; they had a far superior chance of winning. The two had certainly come at the right time. Simon sighed with relief. Enzai laughed contemptuously.

"Mito, Clora, I expect you can deal with these lackeys right?"

"Don't order me around Enzai! I was gonna do that before you even thought of it!" snapped Clora.

"Understood," answered Mito.

"Good. I was just starting to have fun with this one, and it'd be a shame to end it early." Simon tightened his grip on _Lagann_'s controls, hope renewing him.

"Kittan, Yoko, you ready?"

"Any day."

"Yesh!"

He thanked the fortunes for his comrades and addressed Enzai. The _Gurren Lagann_'s arm raised, and it pointed an accusatory finger at the strange ganmen.

"Listen up," he said. "I don't know who or what you are, or who your leader is, or what he thinks he can gain from attacking us. But one thing I do know..." Simon pulled his goggles over his eyes. Once more he felt his fighting spirit well up. Behind him the _King Kittan_ and the _Yokkaiser_ prepared for a fight.

"...is that you haven't even begun to see what we can do."

**Rewritten third chapter. Made the Knights more stronger this time around.**

**Written by Zaru, edited by 1 over 0 and Juubi-K.**

**If you liked this, you will enjoy Words Without a Voice.**


	4. Cometh the Hour Part 3

**I do not own Gurren Lagann, Gainax does. The Spiral Knights and their mechs belong to me.**

Two teams of three ganmen faced each other down in the skies over Teppelin.

The tension was palpable even on the surface, where civilian and soldier alike would stop and look up to view the aerial showdown. It wrapped its steely claws around the six pilots, setting hearts pounding.

Kittan broke the moment with a drunken laugh.

"Hahahahee!" he guffawed. "I haven't felt this way since we won at Teppe... Terre... whatever! Feels good! Now let's get it on!"

He rushed the three ganmen with a manic chuckle. The smallest of the three zoomed forward and, almost contemptuously, knocked him away.

"Hmph. Boorish fool," sniffed Mito Khan. "I will deal with this drunkard." The tiny mecha flew away after the _King Kittan_.

"Kittan!" yelled Yoko. "You damn fool! Now I have to save your ass again!" The _Yokkaiser_ started moving to intercept the demonic Lagann-type, but found itself blocked by the tall, cloaked Ganmen.

"You sound awfully feminine," remarked the mecha. "You don't see many girls as ganmen pilots. I think we'll have to decide who the strongest woman on this battlefield is."

"I don't have time for this!" snarled Yoko. She fired, shooting the tall ganmen at point blank range. The ganmen threw up its cloak, catching the shot, before lunging forward with a punch. Yoko was forced to dodge back, farther away from Kittan.

"Ah ah ah," cajoled the cloaked ganmen. "Your opponent now is Clora Filia, and she is going to take _very good _care of you."

There was a crackle of static, and Kittan's voice came over the radio. "Don'tcha worry 'bout me!" he slurred. "I can handle this guy...girl...something. Such a small ganmen 's no match for th' Queen...er..._King Kittan_! 'S kinda cute, actually."

"Don't underestimate it, Kittan!" warned Simon. "It's some sort of special weapon, I just know it!"

"Don'tcha tell me how ta fight!" roared Kittan. "I'll show this little bastard jes' what I cn' do!"

"If we're all matched up, can we get to the good part?" It was Enzai, his mecha pounding its fists together. "'Cause I'm all warmed up and ready to go!"

"Go, Simon!" said Yoko. "You can take him if it's one on one! We'll stall until you can help us!"

Simon nodded reluctantly. "Yoko...Kittan...hold together until I finish this!"

"Ish no problem!"

"Just get going already!"

_Gurren Lagann_ fell into a fighting stance to face the _Yatano Kagami_.

"Ah, are we all finished now?" asked Enzai. "Final farewells can be so tedious."

"Don't be so cocky!" snapped Simon. "You couldn't match me without your little buddies to back you up!"

"You are correct," Enzai admitted. "To face you, I'll have to take things a little further. _Yatano Kagami_, Burst Mode!"

In front of Simon's eyes the ganmen melted and twisted. Reality itself warped around the _Yatano Kagami_ as it took on a more ferocious, bestial form. The arms grew longer and slimmer, turning into massive metal wings, each feather gleaming sharply. The legs morphed, becoming stouter and shorter, with five razor-sharp talons adorning each clawed foot. The head elongated into a pointed beak and grew a metallic crest.

When the transformation had completed, Enzai looked over his new ganmen. He flexed the wings and legs, surveying the changes the Burst Mode had inflicted.

"It actually worked," he finally said. "I didn't expect this, but it suits me. A great bird of prey, Lord of the skies!"

"If you're finished gloating, let's get this over with," interjected Simon. "Your new shape doesn't impress me, and I've got some friends to get back to!"

"An impetuous child," said Enzai with contempt. "I will teach you respect."

With a flap of metallic wings Enzai charged. He was much faster than before, and Simon was briefly caught off-guard. The wings spun, the feathers scoring many slashes across the chest and arms. The beak lashed out and struck against the _Gurren Lagann_'s head, narrowly glancing off of the helmet. Simon finally reacted and managed to shove Enzai away, jetting up higher.

"Ha ha!" laughed Enzai. "It runs perfectly! With this machine I will be the true master of the sky! Going up isn't going to help you!"

The _Yatano Kagami_ sped up, quickly catching up to the _Gurren Lagann_ and slamming into it from below. Simon bounced around in the cockpit as _Gurren Lagann _was sent sailing through the air. The _Yatano Kagami_ followed up quickly, ramming Simon into the side of _Dekabutsu_'s remains. It pinned the crimson ganmen against the titan's hull with its wings and talons and attacked repeatedly with its beak.

"Simon! Are you okay?" Yoko's voice floated over the radio, barely audible over the great crashes of the _Yatano Kagami_'s beak.

"I can't dodge or land a hit!" replied Simon. "He's too fast!"

"Keep your distance!" counselled Yoko. "From what I can see, he's a close-range fighter! And if it comes down to it, don't forget your drill! You can always…!"

There was a crash, and Simon heard Yoko yell.

"Yoko! Pay attention!" Simon reprimanded her. "I'll be fine! Focus on the big guy!"

"It's a girl, but all right! I trust you, Simon!"

_Yeah,_ thought Simon. _They all trust me. They trust me to win._

R ecalling Yoko's advice, he manifested a drill. But this drill did not appear on either of his arms, which were both pinned. Instead it manifested on his back, and he drilled into the core of _Dekabutsu_. Enzai tried to follow, but found he could not get the _Yatano Kagami_'s wings through the opening. Instead he withdrew and circled the _Dekabutsu_ like a scavenger on the wing, watching and waiting.

Kittan was more than eager to battle. He was slightly disappointed by the scale of his opponent, but he was nonetheless happy to have a fight on his hands.

"Get ready to face th' immortal Kittan!" he gloated, making his ganmen strike various poses in midair. "Your tiny little thing ish no match for me 'n my ganmen, _King Kittan_!"

His opponent, the demonic _Lagann _look-alike, was unimpressed.

"I am Mito Khan," he introduced himself. "I am one of the Spiral King's three Spiral Knights. You do not stand a chance, idiot."

Kittan's face twitched, and his ganmen did the same. "I'm so sick o' that!" he roared. "Everwun's callin' me dat! Idot this, idiot dat! Even Yoko's in onnit! I'll crush you and your demon-Lagann-thing to work off some steam!"

"It's called the _Kuzanagi_," corrected Mito. "And I believe you've forgotten how pitifully inadequate your attacks were earlier."

"Bah! Ish nothing! I wusn't even serious! Now I'm mad, an' you're gunna regret it!"

Kittan charged. His attack was swift, but his flight was incredibly erratic. Half of his blows fell short or swung wide, and the other half were effortlessly dodged by the smaller ganmen.

"Wut? Wuzzat?" he asked, startled. "How're you dodgin' all that?"

Kittan swung his lance. The _Kuzanagi_ sidestepped with ease and pummelled the _King Kittan_'s lance arm with several quick, powerful blows. Mito retreated and Kittan swung again, but was surprised when the arm exploded.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

"Yes, this is it," answered Mito. "_Kuzanagi_'s power. I haven't even engaged the Burst mode yet, and I've already rendered you powerless. You," Mito's voice took on an edge of contempt, "have no piloting skill. If you'll excuse me, I'll amuse myself by interrupting Enzai's battle." The _Kuzanagi _turned to leave.

"Hold it right there!" yelled an enraged Kittan. "Yer shtill battlin' me! I've got another arm shtill!"

Kittan attacked with his shield arm. Mito dodged again, seemingly sensing the attack.

"My mistake," he apologized. "I left you with a functioning limb."

The _Kuzanagi_ darted forward, faster than Kittan could track in his inebriated state, and treated the shield arm the same as it had the lance arm. _King Kittan_'s remaining arm exploded.

"You know, I could remove your legs the same way," bragged Mito. "Or I could render your flight sphere useless and watch as you plummet to the earth. But that would be a waste of time. I think I much prefer the idea of letting you live with your shame."

With lightning speed the _Kuzanagi _clamped onto the _King Kittan_. It spun in the air, swinging the yellow mecha with power that belied its tiny frame. Once it had reached peak momentum it released its hold, flinging Kittan unceremoniously over the horizon. _Kuzanagi_ mimicked wiping the dirt off of its hands.

"Farewell, Kittan," said its pilot. "Your fight was short and uneventful. Now I think I'll go see what Enzai's up to."

Back on the surface, Rossiu and Nia continued their furtive flight through the demolished streets of Kamina City. The handful of human ganmen could only cover so much ground, and beastman troopers stalked through the streets alongside the strange human soldiers. The children followed in a frightened huddle as Rossiu picked his way through dark alleys, enormous craters and mountains of rubble that had once been buildings. Total silence enveloped all, adding to the suspense: the slightest noise could alert the beastmen's heightened senses to the presence of the small group of survivors.

"Rossiu, shouldn't we take a more direct route?" whispered Nia. "The children are in danger, and we should get them to the _Dai-Gurren_ as quickly as possible."

"I've told you, Nia, we have to be careful!" The skinny boy wiped sweat off his brow. "We must use total caution! If we're discovered, it will all be for nothing!" His brow furrowed, his face grim. He gave off the impression of a much older person than the carefree young man he should have been. "We must survive. That is our highest priority."

They continued through the dark crevices of the settlements, eerie echoes causing them to jump in a startled manner at intervals. For a time, they made good progress, but as they were about to round the corner of an alleyway into a larger street Rossiu signalled for the company to stay back.

Voices were filtering through the stark air. One was coarse, to the point of being an animalistic growl.

"Ffff. I think this is too easy. Hardly the 'crusade' we were promised."

The response was delivered in a smoother, emotionless tone.

"This is the first stage. The conquest of the world cannot be achieved simply by sacking one city."

"They only have one city! You'd think they'd have had a greater military presence here. Rrrr, it's no goddamn fun if we're just walking all over a bunch of civilians..."

"Rest assured, the aerial battle is significantly less one-sided; as was part of the plan. Good strategy presumably comes above the raging bloodlust of a single commando."

"You're a goddamn asshole, you know that? Lording it over me just 'cause the new boss thinks his 'new' troops make better commanders. Under that attitude of yours you're just another human, ya know that? Why, I could take this claw and...hold it."

The silence deepened, becoming dense and suffocating.

"I smell fear."

With feline speed the beastman was around the corner with a rifle barrel jammed under Rossiu's chin. The children all shrieked and tried to run, but they were in a narrow alley and they ran into Nia, who tripped and fell, blocking the path of retreat. An instant later a human trooper rounded the corner. He trained his own rifle on the mass of children.

The Beastman purred enthusiastically. His pointed ears twitched, as did his tail.

"Forget what I said, Yukito. I just love the look of terror on the runts' faces. C'mon, let's waste them!"

The cat-beastman pulled away and lifted his automatic weapon, a gleeful sneer twisting his features. He would only be too happy to slaughter a group of innocent children.

"It's your turn to hold up. Take a closer look at the girl in the back."

"Wait a second...wait a second...she looks like...another useless sack of human flesh! Unless you feel the need to engage in some human mating rituals, I'm going to put holes in all of them now."

"Stop being so coarse and look _closer. _Take a look at those eyes of hers that you've made wide with terror. Notice the coloring of her hair."

"I don't see why...wait. Now I _do_ see it. She looks just like the new boss!"

"Yes. Her features are unnaturally close to those of His Majesty. "

Nia leaped to her feet in a desperate attempt to save them all.

"I am the Spiral Princess Nia Teppelin! In the name of my late father, the Spiral King, I demand that you tell me what, precisely, you are doing to this place and its people!"

The Beastman laughed, and the human only looked on emotionlessly. Rossiu trembled in fear.

"Nia, please don't do this..." he muttered.

"I will ask you again. Why are you invading these people's homes?"

The beastman stopped laughing and stared in hate at Nia.

"Poor?" he growled. "Poor? You destroy our lives, take our homes, demolish our way of life, and we take our just retribution, and you have the nerve to call yourself 'poor'? Remember, human filth, you attacked us first! If you'd stayed in your little holes, none of this would have happened!" The human stepped in.

"Calm yourself. She does indeed appear to be related to His Majesty. We cannot kill her, and therefore you do no good working yourself up. We will capture them and…"

"My apologies, sir. I think I _will_ kill them."

"What do you think you're doing? This is insubordination!"

"Look at her, you twit! This traitorous little whore abandoned her empire to join the winning team! She abandoned her _father,_ for god's sake! I say we snuff 'em all out, and she'll be just one more body on the pile."

"I don't think…"

The human was stopped short once more, this time by the thunder of gunshots. Nia covered her eyes as the two beastmen were cut down. She opened them again to see the Boukon twins appear around the corner.

"Nia!" "Rossiu!" yelled one of the twins. "It not safe here!"

"Yeah!" called the other. "We escort you now!"

Rossiu was busy searching the bloody remains of the two soldiers. Nia strode forward and slapped Rossiu. The boy reeled.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. "Defiling the bodies of those poor men!"

"They're our enemies, Nia!" Rossiu shouted back. "We can use any information we can get! I need to find out why a human was aiding the beastmen!"

"You can do that later," said Nia, more quietly. "Right now, these children don't need to see any more of this. We need to get them out of here. That is our highest priority."

Rossiu looked down and nodded in consent. He rose to his feet and led the children out of the alleyway . Some of them wore blank looks. Others simply looked at their feet as they trudged along. None of their gazes ever rested on the two mutilated corpses.

Nia wept silently. The children were probably scarred from the day's events. But now, at least, they were safe.

Enzai was still circling around _Dekabutsu_'s remains when Mito found him. The giant metal raptor shrieked in recognition of his comrade.

"Mito! Are you quite finished with that fool?" asked Enzai.

"The idiot never stood a chance. I barely shed a drop of sweat. You, on the other hand, seem to have resorted to the Burst System. Good to know it works."

"The bastard was powerful, all right. But with this new form, I was able to pin him down. So the sneaky ass burrowed into the _Dekabutsu_ to escape."

"Rats will hide in their holes when frightened, Enzai. Your ungainly new form prevents you from following, I see. Fear not, I will chase him out."

The _Kuzanagi_ zoomed down into the opening _Gurren Lagann_ had made.

"Don't take too long, Mito!" yelled Enzai. He sat back in his seat, prepared to wait for his comrade's return.

He let his guard down.

The _Gurren Lagann_ came bursting out of the ground, drill extended.

"What?"

Enzai grabbed the controls and barely dodged the attack, losing a wing in the process.

"Tch! Sneaky bastard!" he snapped. The wings weren't necessary to fly of course, not with the flight spheres, but he had lost some attack power with one of his bladed wings gone.

"'Sneaky' is attacking a city with no warning, killing thousands of unarmed noncombatants, and then ganging up three on one!" yelled back Simon. "You don't play fair!"

"Fair?" sneered Enzai. "You think we have to 'play fair'? This is war, boy! You can either take your defeats with grace, or learn to win!"

"I'll win, then!" shouted Simon. He summoned another drill. "With your wing gone, you're not as effective! I'll finish you with a Giga Drill Breaker!"

With the other hand, he tore off his shades. Raising the arm, he prepared to charge.

_Kuzanagi_ tore out of the hole _Gurren Lagann_ had made in the ground and interrupted Simon's attack.

"What dishonourable tactics, hiding in the ground and waiting for an opportunity to strike!" Mito sneered, and the _Kuzanagi _did likewise . "Unfortunately, you neglected to pay attention to your other adversary." Simon paled when he saw the demonic _Lagann _copy.

"You were fighting Kittan! That means..."

"Don't fret, he's alive. However, if we achieve our goal, he won't have much to come back to."

"You bastards!" Simon roared. "Will you spare no one? W hat goal is worth the shedding of so much innocent blood?"

"We serve our lord. His orders are absolute." The _Yatano Kagami_'s beak grinned evilly. "Although, I must admit I'm taking considerable joy in this battle."

"You...you...!" The _Gurren Lagann_ glowed green. "You are monsters! I can't let you get away with this!"

Simon tossed away the shades and manifested a second drill on his other arm. The drills spun at high speeds.

"I have two drills!" he shouted. "One for each of you! More than enough!"

"Enzai, his Spiral level is rising," noted Mito, looking concerned. Enzai scoffed.

"I see that. I can't believe he had any left in him. Color me impressed"

"Hmph. Shows what you know. It's obvious that he's a Transcendant type."

"Does that mean we get to fight him longer?"

"No. It means we get to finish this quickly." The _Kuzanagi_'s armor began bubbling ominously with green spiral power.

"I'll have to take him out before he becomes a greater threat," said the androgynous knight. "Let's try out the Burst Mode." Enzai grinned like a shark.

"Took you long enough. Let's see what hidden power you pull out of it."

The _Kuzanagi _attained a glow of power similar to Simon's. The orange-haired knight's eye quirked.

"...Kind of disappointing," said Enzai. "Quite honestly I was expecting something...more?"

"I assure you, Enzai, it's more than enough. Just watch."

"Just shut up and let's get it on already!" said Simon.

He screamed and charged the two Spiral Knights.

"Kyhahahahahahaha! You're useless!" Clora continued laughing as Yoko's shots were absorbed into her cape.

"Damn you and that cape of yours!" cursed Yoko. She circled Clora, firing away with the _Yokkaiser_'s gun.

"Oh, man, you're useless. I think I have my answer now. I am most definitely the supreme female combatant."

"Ditch that cloak and let's fight on even ground! Then you'll see what I'm capable of!" snarled the redhead. Clora just laughed and continued turning to match Yoko's strafing.

"Got ganmen envy, have you? I think I'll keep it, thank you very much."

"Then shut up so I can aim!" Yoko fired again and again, but the cape absorbed them all the same.

"Mmm...no."

There was a loud explosion near the center of the city. A large chunk of _Dekabutsu_'s hull disappeared in smoke and debris.

"Simon!" gasped Yoko. Clora sneered.

"That's the men for you. So unrestrained and inelegant. There is only one man refined enough to meet my tastes. His Majesty is the only man to hold my heart." She gazed off into the distance, daydreaming of her perfect lover as she placed her hands over her slim busom.

"His Majesty?" asked Yoko. "Is he the one who ordered this attack?" Clora snapped out of fantasyland.

"Why yes, of course," she replied. "The king leads his people. He will lead us to glory!"

"Is that so? If he ordered this attack, than he must be some kind of sick, pathetic coward." Clora's smile disappeared in a flash.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"I said, your leader is a twisted asshole whose level of sophistication isn't much higher than that of a…"

But she was cut off. Clora's flower-pigtails sprouted thorns, her eyes changing from green to red as her face contorted into absolute rage.

"SHUT UP, BITCH!" Clora panted in rage. Her ganmen's chest heaved in time with her own, mimicking her anger.

"YOU DIRTY LITTLE WHORE! HOW DARE YOU! THE GALL! THE AUDACITY! THE NERVE!" The _Magatama_ glowed green. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT LOVE IS! YOU STAND IN FRONT OF ME, WITHOUT A LOVED ONE, AND YOU SAY THAT KIND OF SHIT ABOUT MY LOVE, AND YOU EXPECT ME TO ACCEPT THAT?"

Her ganmen seemed to collapse and reform, but maintained a similar shape. Oddly, though it seemed galvanized, its limbs gleaming anew; shocking power welled up from its core, imbuing it with a new and frightening strength. The cape reformed at the back, forming into large demonic wings, bladed spikes riveted from it's forearms. The jaw split, revealing the enraged face of the _Magatama_, whose face looked much like _Lagann_'s. As if things couldn't get any worse, energy started to fill the frame, and even threatened to burst, some of the joints of the machine spewing green-shifting-to-red spiral power.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT! HAVE A TASTE OF MAGATAMA'S TRUE POWER! BURST MODE!"

While the old _Magatama_ was a slow but powerful tank, the new _Magatama_ had speed rivaling _Gurren Lagann_'s. It was in Yoko's face faster than she could react. She desperately tried to fire at the enraged behemoth, but _Magatama_ took the barrel in its hand and snapped it like it was a breadstick. Yoko sensed the next blow coming and tried to block with her arms, but the uppercut sent her flying into the sky regardless. In a flash the _Magatama_ was alongside her. It grabbed the _Yokkaiser_ and stopped their headlong skyward flight.

"You are less than nothing," hissed Clora through gritted teeth, her eyes displaying red spirals within green eyes. "I will squash you into the ground like a worthless ant. Have a fun time. Bitch."

Grabbing _Yokkaiser_ by the abdomen, _Magatama_ turned around and jetted towards the ground, pushing Yoko along in front of it.

"Damn! Damn! Damn!" grunted Yoko, trying desperately to move the controls. "Can't break free! And I won't survive the impact either! Useless machine!"

She grabbed her rifle and opened the hatch. Above her, the _Magatama_'s enraged face glared down. She searched for a weak point in _Magatama_'s armor. Finding what she was looking for, she aimed down the scope.

"We Brigadeers never give in!" she yelled into the wind, and pulled the trigger. A chunk of the armor flew off, whistling past her head.

"Yes!" she yelled, hope flowing through her as she worked the bolt on her rifle. She aimed again.

Clora watched as the redhead blew off another piece of her armor. She snarled in rage, tempted to reach out and crush her.

And then she had an idea. She gave a smirk that showed teeth.

Yoko's next shot bounced harmlessly off an armored hand. She gasped and scrambled back into the cockpit, trying to avoid the grasping fingers. It was to no avail, as the giant hand grabbed her and hauled her out. _Magatama _stopped just short of the ground and tossed away the useless wreck that had once been the _Yokkaiser_.

Clora examined her captive. Yoko writhed in a futile attempt to escape.

"Well now," smirked Clora. "Now that I've calmed down a bit, I've decided it will be much more useful if I take you back to Lord Ribo alive. Don't think I'm done with you just yet. We're going to have _lots_ of fun, you and I."

Yoko looked up at her with anger and fear alike. She squirmed and struggled with all of her might, but it was no use.

She had been caught.

Up higher, Mito, Enzai and Simon continued their fight. Simon charged and missed with yet another set of drills, and was brutally pummelled by yet another of _Kuzanagi_'s combos. Enzai followed up by grabbing the _Gurren Lagann_ in his claws and swinging it into _Dekabutsu_'s remains once more.

Still Simon refused to give up. He rose to his feet and summoned two more drills.

"He never gives up, does he?" remarked Mito.

"Thanks so much for pointing that out," replied Enzai sarcastically. "How long is this going to take? I can't hold the Burst Form much longer." He took a deep breath and wiped sweat off of his forehead, the Burst Mode having its toll on the orange haired combat aficionado.

"Yo! Mito! Enzai! I have a hostage!"

All three combatants stopped and looked towards the source of the shout. The _Magatama_ rose into their midst, holding the captive Yoko triumphantly. Mito smirked, while Enzai chuckled darkly.

"Yoko!" gasped Simon. Images of Kamina being speared twice running through his mind again. He didn't want to know what would happen if Yoko exploded in a gush of blood, should the caped ganmen clench its hand.

"Yes, that's right. It's your little whore with the cowtits!" Clora showed off her prize. "You'd better let us go, or I'll crush her into pulp!"

The digger bit his lip. When Nia was in this situation when they fought Adiane, Yoko was able to save the day. But this time Yoko, one of the most strongest girls he had ever known, was held hostage. There was no one in sight to help him, and he couldn't stall for time like they did like that time at sea. Simon slumped in his seat.

"Dammit..." he breathed.

"We'll be going now, if you don't mind. And we've left you a little present, just because we love you _that much._"

As one, the three machines lifted an arm. The pilots snapped their fingers. At the signal, all three zeppelins tipped toward the ground, Dai-Ganzan minitypes speeding from their hangars. At the same time, other _Dai-Ganzan_ minitypes outside the perimeter of Kamina City began to lift off, carrying their cargo of the shock troopers and zeppelin personnel to safety.

All according to plan.

"It's a bonfire for the one month anniversary for the creation of your city!" said Clora cheerily. "Happy burning!"

"Man I love the smell of burnt _rat flesh_ in the morning!" exclaimed Enzai, he and Clora cackling with glee as Mito remained silent.

The three retreated. Simon tried to pursue, but Clora held out Yoko threateningly, she even squeezed a little, prompting Yoko to holler in pain, causing the slayer of Lordgenome to flinch.

"Ah ah ah. Just enjoy our gift to you Digger. For now, we will fall back. If I were you, I'd get some marshmellows" oiled Clora.

"Clora, we need to leave." urged Mito. Simon could only watch in helpless fury as the zeppelins crashed into the already burning city. For a moment he could see them crumple against the buildings, before exploding into fireballs.

Simon remained silent, his head hunched over. Then he slammed the side of Lagann in anger and frustration.

This wasn't like when Viral had them cornered when they went hunting outside of Ritona. This wasn't like the time when Kamina died. At least there was no defeat.

But this, was absolute crushing defeat, and Simon had to accept the reality that for the first time in his career as a brigadier. Blood seeped from his lip as he bit on it.

The enemy purposefully sent their ships to their doom to further the fire to a rebuilding city, killing any survivors in the city center by the hundreds, maybe thousands. They had mechs beyond the strength of all the Four Generals combined, and maybe even Lordgenome.

Simon and the Brigade, due to their negligence and carelessness, allowed thousands of innocent men, women, children, who came to the surface for the first time, to be burned alive, gunned down, or crushed.

He has lost, the enemy has won.

**Heres the rewritten N4. Hope you enjoyed. Spiced things up a lot.**

**If you liked this, you will like Words Without a Voice and the contributor's own fics.**

**Written by 1 over 0 and edited by Zaru and Juubi-K.**


	5. The King and the Markswoman

**I do not own Gurren Lagann and neither does 1 over 0. GAINAX does. Ribo Soma Teppelin and all in his command belong to me.**

If Ribo's furniture was anything, it was _damn_ comfortable. Viral pondered this as he sat rigidly in one of the many armchairs that populated the lounge. He took it as a personal challenge not to succumb to the urge to lean back and relax himself; yet he could not help but feel the comfort of the chair even in his enforced alertness. He noted irritably that his allies sprawled about like they hadn't a care in the world. Enzai, in particular, was lounging about like he owned the place.

Viral was relieved to see Ribo walk in. He was, once again, drinking the wine he enjoyed so much. A similar glass stood next to Viral, but he hadn't touched it. He wanted to be on his toes for the next hour, and alcohol wouldn't help any. He also noted, somewhat smugly, that Enzai had already required multiple refills from the feline Beastman maid who stood nearby.

"May I extend my congratulations, my knights?" said Ribo, raising his glass in a gesture of congratulation. "We are victorious, thanks in no small part to your efforts."

"No kidding!" snorted Enzai. "That Simon kid was no easy pickings, let me tell you!"

Viral's ears twitched at the mention of his rival. Mito, who had been silently puffing a cigar with closed eyes, reopened them and gazed at Enzai.

"Don't be dramatic," said Mito quietly. "He was no more difficult than we expected, and we were capable of dealing with him." The flower-pigtailed Knight sitting in the bean bag across from him snarled.

"Says you!" interjected Clora. "Your Majesty, I'd like you to know that those two would be history without _my_ contribution. Without my hostage, Simon would have overrun us." Enzai let off a growl while Mito didn't seem to care. Viral was intrigued, however.

"A hostage?" asked Viral. "I didn't see you take a hostage."

"We had ceased to watch at that point," said Ribo as he leaned against a chair. "Clora, I believe it would be someone of great import to the humans?"

"I doubt it," scoffed Clora. "Personally, I think she's nothing more than the leader's little plaything."

"She?" blurted Viral. Instantly he regretted it, as all heads turned to him.

"Would you like to share some pertinent information?" inquired Ribo, now smiling uneasily towards the shark-cat.

"It's just, I knew that Simon had a girl that he was fond of," said Viral. He decided not to mention that she was Lordgenome's daughter. After all, he wasn't required to tell Ribo _everything_. Though he was loyal to Lordgenome's son, Viral wasn't sure whether he was yet worthy to succeed his father.

"Ah, I knew it!" exulted Clora, snapping her fingers. "Nothing but the leader's concubine."

Viral remained silent once again, although it galled him to hear Lordgenome's progeny spoken of so. He contented himself with the thought of Simon's future demise.

"Could we possibly use her as a bargaining chip?" asked Ribo.

"Tch, Doubt it," said Clora dismissively, waving her hand. "If we tried to use her as a lever, it would only work against the leader. He'd easily be overruled by his subordinates."

Viral decided to withhold his own opinion. He knew how effective Nia would be against Dai-Gurren, but he was content to let Clora wallow in her ignorance.

"Still," said Ribo. "I'll have to have a chat with her. She may know something important."

"I wouldn't do that," commented Clora. "She's not playing nice right now. I think you should let me handle the interrogation."

Ribo nodded. "Very well. I'll leave that to you, then."

Clora's eyes suddenly flickered green, and a hint of a malicious grin twitched at the corner of her mouth. The second Spiral King turned towards the androgynous Royal Knight. Enzai was busy drinking another wine glass. How he managed to speak without slurring, Viral had no idea. He simply assumed that Enzai was very good at holding his liquor.

"Mito, you've been silent thus far," remarked Ribo suddenly. "Do you have no thoughts to share?"

"I am tired, my liege," said Mito stoically. "I am not alert enough for conversation at the moment."

"Ah, Mito brings up an excellent point. My Knights, I apologize. You are undoubtedly still recuperating from the battle. Let us break for the evening, and return to planning tomorrow morning."

The knights stood and filed out, first Mito, then Enzai, then Clora, who had an odd bounce to her step. Ribo waited until the others had gone, then grabbed Viral's arm as he was leaving.

"Walk with me, my Regent," he ordered. Viral had no choice but to comply, and followed his lord obediently.

The two walked through the halls of the palace, neither saying a word. Viral soon grew anxious with the silence, desperate to know the meaning of this journey.

Soon enough Ribo stopped and turned. He studied his Lord Regent with quiet concentration.

"Viral, you recall the hostage we discussed?" asked Ribo.

"Yes, my Lord," responded Viral.

"You said that you might now her. Is this true?"

"Perhaps, my lord, if I was given an image. Then I could do a more accurate identification. Clora provided precious few details."

"Ah. Then it is fortunate that I went to the trouble of getting a photo."

Ribo pulled a folded sheet of paper from his robes and handed it to Viral. The Beastman regent unfolded it, and his eyes widened at the picture. Where he sought blue-green curls, he saw red hair tied back in a ponytail with a skull trinket. Where he expected open, friendly green and pink eyes were instead a golden pair that glared defiance at him. Where he had hoped for the slightly round face of a young girl was instead the sharper angles of an older, more feminine face. Where he thought he sought the body of a pre-pubescent 11 year old, the sharkcat saw the curvy figure of a woman that was clearly done with puberty.

It wasn't Nia Teppelin that he saw. It was Yoko Ritona, one of the Dai-Gurren Brigade's best marksmen and one of its founders.

"Well, Viral?" asked Ribo, eyebrow quirked at his Regent's reaction.

"My lord, this isn't the girl I was talking about. But she will almost certainly be more useful and probably just as important."

Ribo smiled knowingly.

"Ah. Well, I guess I should rescue her before Clora tortures her into insanity."

Viral dropped the photo in shock, his eyes wide.

"Torture?" he nearly yelled. "You still _torture_ your prisoners? Even Adiane never went that low!" Although Adiane had mainly killed her prisoners, but still, all of the other Generals never tortured, as ordered by Lordgenome himself. Viral must have thought that the Spiral King had a thing against the act of torture. Ribo smiled as he shook his head.

"Not I, of course. Clora has her little...quirks, is all. I let her have her way, in return for her undying obedience. Alas, however, we rarely get any useful or accurate information from those she interrogates. They never recover, really." Viral glared at the boy king, sharp teeth bared.

"You _knew_ this, and yet you let her walk off like that?"

Ribo only looked back in smug confidence.

"Of course I did."

Viral dropped all semblance of composure and sprinted away towards Clora's section.

"You see, Viral," said Ribo quietly to his Regent's retreating back, "timing is everything."

And he strode off after Viral, unhurried.

* * *

Being flown through the sky in the hand of a giant robot would, of course, be undoubtedly fatal. The wind alone would either freeze the passenger or burn the skin off via friction, at least according to Yoko's estimates.

Thus why Yoko considered herself lucky that Clora had _not_ opted for that route. Instead, she had caught her first glimpse of the petite green-haired pilot as she was tossed unceremoniously inside the cockpit. She only ever got a glimpse, however, as she was soon knocked unconscious by a quick blow to the head. Briefly, Yoko wondered whether it would have been possible to overpower Clora and take the cloaked Ganman for her own use. But such speculation was useless at this point.

Not that there was anything to do other than speculate. It was dark, and she was tied to a chair. No, Yoko corrected herself. It wasn't dark, it was lightless. There was absolutely no light to see by, creating the illusion that she had lost function of her eyes. She couldn't tell whether her eyes were opened or closed, which was disconcerting, but wouldn't have been a problem if not for the bonds. Endless, fruitless struggling had revealed that the ties were completely impervious to any sort of tampering. Whoever had tied her up had been good. And had a grudge, reflected Yoko, grimacing at the tightness of the ropes. It was quickly becoming clear just who was responsible for her confinement.

There was a click, and the door opened. Or so Yoko assumed; the blast of light came from behind her, so she couldn't really see, and the sudden change in intensity blinded her and made her eyes water. It shut just as quickly as it had opened, but the damage had been done. Purple blotches floated across Yoko's vision as she tried hopelessly to find a way to dry her eyes.

_"Hello."_

The word was breathed out of the darkness to Yoko's left, and the sigh of its passage brushed against her cheek. Yoko found herself wanting desperately to swing her head to her left, but knowing she would find nothing, she schooled herself to stillness.

_"Going to play the stoic, are we? I'll fix that."_

"Honestly, Clora?" said Yoko into the darkness, eyes narrowed. "I'm not really surprised. This kind of thing is right up your alley."

_"Good. So you grasp the true nature of your situation. This is a good start."_

"I grasp the fact that you're an incredibly sad specimen of mental instability."

Smack. The slap came out of nowhere, and sent Yoko's head reeling. The redhead didn't flinch.

_"Ever so rude. I'll have to break you in before I present you to the Master. If you're a good girl, perhaps you'll even gain a position of favor with him. Though you'll never rise as high as myself, of course."_

"The Master, huh? Oh, right. Your megalomaniac king. Can't _wait_ to meet him."

There was a swish, then a cracking sound. Something long and leathery snaked over Yoko's shoulder. _Now_ the shapely readhead flinched, breathing sharpely and biting her lips.

_"Oh, I can guarantee you will. You'll be begging to please his every whim. And then, you'll beg to please mine, you cow"_

"A whip? Really?" scoffed Yoko. "Your lack of creativity is unimpressive. The only thing that comes close to impressing me is that you're capable of doing this with the lights out. How do you get pleasure from this when you can't watch it yourself, you flat-chested broad?"

A chuckle, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. Then, two small green lights slowly unveiled themselves in front of Yoko. For the the first time in a while, Yoko's own eyes went up, and she felt fear crawl up her spine. The green lights had spirals in them, and displayed nothing but insanity and malice.

_"Oh, I see. I see everything. And I _will_ have fun doing this."_

Then there was a blast of light, and Yoko was once again forced to snap shut her eyes. There was the sound of a scuffle, with Clora yelling and some beast snarling. Yoko's chair was flung to the side in the commotion. Then, when all had fallen silent_, _a measured, steady tread could be heard. Clora made a protesting noise, then yelped, and then there was a dull thud. Yoko fought against her instincts, and struggled to open her eyes a crack, only enough to see what was going on. She succeeded, briefly; as her vision cleared, she was able to get a pleasant view of the edge between the wall and the floor. Then a hand fell upon her temple, and Yoko knew no more.

* * *

When Yoko came to, her first thought was that she was much more comfortable than the last time she woke up in a strange place. Although she was still tied up, it was much less tight, though it was still undoubtedly impossible to break free. The chair itself was less straight and rigid and conformed better to the body's shape. In addition, the air had a cleaner feel to it, slightly cool yet not in an uncomfortable way. She was most likely in a different cell, though whether that would work to her advantage would depend on what she would see when she opened her eyes.

Ah, yes. Yoko's second thought was to the warm light that seeped through her closed eyelids. Slowly she opened them, and then opened them wider.

There was Nia, smiling at her with her arms folded over the back of another chair.

Then her sight cleared, and the scene resolved itself into the face of a feminine young man who gazed at her with a cold smile that was nothing like Nia's. It never reached his eyes, for one. Those strange eyes studied her dispassionately, the way a scientist might. Looking closely, Yoko noticed a strange spiral pattern burned into the iris.

But the similarities with Nia were startling. His hair, his physique and even the way he sat were all suggestive of Nia. Yoko wondered if she'd hit her head somewhere along the way. Dream physics could handily explain away this strange male doppelganger of Lordgenome's daughter. He inspected her up and down, and Yoko glared at him instinctually. The boy obviously made a bad first impression, as he gazed upon her curves. It wasn't like she hadn't gotten that look before, but most men were simply more discreet about it. And the ropes were doing...odd things to her. Especially around the bust. No, this man was _not_ making a good impression at all.

"Miss Ritona?" said the apparition. "It is quite rude to stare you know."

It took Yoko a second or two to realize that he was talking to her. She almost blushed, before she realized the situation she was in. The young man was really fairly attractive, though he was the exact opposite of almost every other man she'd met. Mentally, she compared him with Kamina, and almost chuckled at the stark contrast.

"You could show a little more respect. I am, after all, the Heir to the Spiral Throne. Ribo Soma Teppelin, at your service." The boy, known as Ribo, stood up and gave a dramatic bow.

Yoko's eyes hardened immediately. Sitting before her was the man responsible for the coldhearted slaughter of Kamina City. This was the man who would undoubtedly continue to murder his way across the land until...what?

"What do you want?" Yoko snapped viciously. Ribo recoiled slightly, that cold smile widening a touch.

"Ah, the supple rose truly does bear thorns," he mocked her. "I try to pick it, but it pricks me to draw forth its own petal of red to nurse its own roots."

"Poetic," snarled Yoko. "But I'm not interested, thanks. Now tell me what you want, so I can tell you why you won't get it."

Ribo chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand. "Ah, you're truly a comic" he chuckled. "What do I want? I want only to reclaim my throne as Lordgenome's only son. I am the rightful King, and I shall assert as such until your friends accept it. Whether they want to or not."

"My turn," said Yoko. "Dai-Gurren Brigade and Simon."

"Your comrades?"

"My _friends._ They'll never let you win. You can bet it'll cost you two Beastmen for every human you enslave. And another five Beastmen for every human you kill." Ribo still had the smile on his face. To think that Yoko considered him attractive for even a moment made her nauseous.

"Oh, I have more than enough Beastmen. And then some, when I count my personal trump card."

"Trump card?" asked Yoko.

"My apologies," said Ribo. "I seem to have forgotten. I'm supposed to be interrogating _you,_ not the other way around." Yoko remembered how Kittan's "interrogation" of Nia had gone. Yoko couldn't replicate Nia's open and disarming demeanor, but there was still a chance she could get some info out of this.

"Your servant seemed to be doing fine," shot Yoko. "She was at least doing a hell of a lot better than you are."

"Well, letting her get at you seems to have been a waste of time," muttered Ribo.

"What?" Yoko glared at Ribo.

"Nothing, just some personal musings. There's more than one interrogation method other than physical abuse, you know."

"I've interrogated a few Beastmen. Needless to say, they broke pretty easily."

"I can imagine. I am, of course, not a Beastman. You won't find me as easy to solve."

"You're a human. It'll be _easier_."

Ribo chuckled again. Yoko's eyebrow lifted.

"While I am no Beastman, I am proud to say that I am not human either," he said. Yoko only rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. Not another fool with a god complex."

"Oh, I assure that it isn't so. I am, in fact, more than human."

"God complex. As I thought." Yoko looked to the side, bored.

Ribo seemed to be offended by her lack of attention towards him.

"Hush!" shushed Ribo, just slightly annoyed. "I trust you're at least passingly familiar with the theory of evolution?"

Yoko wore a blank look. Ribo muttered something about education and having people trained.

"Okay, look at it this way. Everything lives with the ultimate goal of survival, correct?" _And procreation,_ he added silently.

Yoko nodded slowly, but still kept narrowed eyes.

"As time goes on, animals or plants who are better adapted to their environment will perform better and thus have a higher survival rate. Therefore, less well adapted species will eventually die off. Are you with me?"

Yoko nodded again. Ribo sighed, thankful that it wouldn't be too painful to educate her.

"I'm sure you've noticed your leader's ability to perform miracles. Conjuring drills, repairing Ganmen through sheer force of will...I'm sure you're creating a much longer list, mentally. He can do this through what is known as Spiral Power, the concentrated power of this base urge to evolve."

Yoko's look was blank again as she cocked her head in confusion.

"Huh?"

Ribo sighed, bringing his two fingers to his forehead.

"I think you and your friends call it 'fighting spirit'. Am I correct?"

Yoko's expression showed understanding again. Ribo continued.

"As things go, Spiral Power has itself become an evolutionary advantage. The entire evolutionary time line of humanity has been geared towards the use and manufacture of Spiral Power. The human being was considered the pinnacle of this evolutionary path." Ribo smiled here, triumphantly. "But Father didn't see that way."

"If I had a free hand I'd raise it," said Yoko sarcastically. "In any case, I've got a question. Lordgenome was an intellectual?"

"Of course! He was only over several thousand years old,for God's sake!" snapped Ribo, irked by Yoko's insult. "My father was the most intelligent person on this planet! The only surviving member of a dead tribe of Spiral Warriors that fought great battles throughout the skies!"

"Well, I knew he was ancient, but..."

"I shall continue!" interjected Ribo, with a slight tinge of annoyance. "My father was a genius! He was accomplished in every field, but especially in biology! He created a race entirely independent of Spiral Power which could still serve him because each was so highly adapted to their specific task! He took one of that race, and made him immortal without even using a drop of Spiral Power! _An honest to God immortal!_ He was Evolution in man's flesh! And before that Simon idiot was ever born, Father was able to advance the clock on humanity's natural evolution!"

"An immortal?" asked Yoko querulously. "How would you do that? Hey, is that you?"

"No!" said Ribo, this time obviously peeved. "I am a Nucleotype! The next step in the evolutionary ladder!"

"Nucleowhat?"

"Nucleotype," breathed Ribo, calming down somewhat and brushing his hand through his cloudy hair. "An advanced human who is stronger, faster, smarter, more beautiful in the aspects of the human mind and body, and, most importantly, capable of generating and maintaining massive quantities of Spiral Energy. Some of Father's test types developed psychic and telekinetic powers. Some were even able to link together to form one, superior mind. All of these dies, sadly, but Father finally perfected his creation and gave them their name. Nucleotypes. Myself, I call them the chosen, the bearers of the future, because they will easily outstrip regular humans within a few generations. I myself am an Artificial Nucletype, and probably the strongest."

"So you have a whole colony of these Nucleotypes hidden away?" asked Yoko.

"No. That's where the Artificial part comes in. Although Nucleotype Evolution would occur naturally, it would take millenia. Some who are faced with great need or exposed to massive quantities of Spiral Power may become Natural Nucleotypes, but they will be few and far between. Undoubtedly, your leader has undergone this process thanks to a certain medium. But the future cannot wait for them. My Artificial Nucleotypes, designed by myself based on my father's designs, are birthed in labs and raised to be the perfect humans. They will be many, and they will be trained. Your _friends_ won't stand a chance."

"So you think. Mission accomplished."

"What?" It was Ribo's turn to be surprised.

"I told you I was good. You spilled so many secrets today, I'm sure the boys will be more than happy to see me once I break out."

"Oh, Lady Ritona," tutted Ribo. "I'm so sorry; you'll never escape."

"Yes, I will." Yoko glared hate at Ribo, who smiled that same cold and entrancing smile back at her.

"I'm sorry. I have one of Dai-Gurren's founding members on my hands. I've taken every precaution to prevent that. You're too valuable a source of information."

"You already seem to know everything about me!" spat Yoko. "And I'm sure as hell not telling you anything else! Why did you even bother coming here?"

A buzzing sound cut through the tension hanging in the air. Ribo pulled back a sleeve to reveal a watch, which he eyed momentarily. He then stood and turned to leave, taking the chair with him.

"Even I like to engage in a bit of casual conversation sometimes," he shot back over his shoulder, winking. "So long, Lady Ritona." Then the door snapped shut behind him.

Yoko mentally cursed every hair of the snobbish, uptight, arrogant little bastard. Then the lights went off.

She almost wished he'd come back just so the lights would come back.

* * *

"Well, that went well," mocked Viral outside the cell door, arms crossed as he leaned on the wall. "You should have let me question her. I know her far better than you do."

"And I know you just as well as I know her," said Ribo, turning towards the sharkcat. "That's exactly why I can't let you. I can't know how you two will react to each other."

"Fair enough," conceded Viral. "Still, I'm eager to know what 'other purposes' you have for her."

"All in due time," said Ribo smugly. "Until then, please tell the Knights to prepare for another attack."

"So soon?" muttered Viral. "A little hasty, perhaps?"

"I'm eager to retake a certain something. Whether the humans leave or they're wiped out, as long as they're out of the city, it's fine by me."

"Fine. I'll track them down. Is Clora awake yet?"

"Most likely. She'll be more than a little annoyed, though. Best look for Mito first, and let him inform the others."

"He's the most stable, isn't he."

"On the contrary. He's simply the most predictably unstable."

"You must think you're so funny," said Viral, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not laughing. Now go, my servant."

"At your command," said Viral mockingly, with an intentionally overdone bow.

Ribo smiled at Viral's retreating back. He'd be useful. It was best to have at least one subordinate who wasn't fanatically loyal. Now, between Mito and Viral, he had two. That would be more than enough to serve as his advisors.

Ribo walked away, mind already filled with half-finished schemes and plans.

**Now the rewrite is complete. Hope you all enjoyed.**

**Edited by Zaru.**


	6. The Digger and the King

**Gurren Lagann belongs to GAINAX. Ribo Soma Teppelin, his knights, Dai-Gantei and his mechs belong to me.**

**Kuroko belongs to 1 over 0.**

**Sorry for the long wait, but Largeham-sama's absence forced my hand and I teamed up with 1 over 0. I will commence a rewrite of the first 5 chapters soon enough.**

Kamina City, formerly Teppelin, was a disaster area.

Whole blocks had been completely leveled, and what remained standing was pitiful when taken in proportion to the raw destruction inflicted on the budding city. Fires, leftovers of the inferno that followed the zeppelin's impact, still smouldered in places. Every so often they would find new fuel and blaze up again, bringing exhausted and over-stretched fire crews running, seeking to douse them before they could reduce remained of the city to ash.

The only structure left intact was Teppelin itself, the remains of a giant ganmen otherwise known as Dekabutsu, looming over the ruined city as it always had. The only other visible object was the massive _Dai-Gurren_, acting as temporary headquarters for the human forces.

The members of Dai-Gurren Brigade sat around the mess hall table. Simon sat at the head, with Rossiu beside him, rolling out a list of figures in a flat tone.

"Number of buildings lost: 98. Number of Ganmen retrieved: 42. About half of those are in no condition to fight. Number of Ganmen lost: 64. Number missing: 12. Remaining food not consumed by the fires: approximately enough for a fortnight, if we're good about it. I've assigned 14 new fire crews. Estimated time to repair remaining Ganmen: one month. Leeron says he just can't handle the repairs without the _Dai Gurren's_ onboard factory, and that he wasn't able to rebuild it. Um, estimated number of wounded in the hospital: 400. Estimated number of casualties..." Rossiu paused.

"Rossiu, stop." Simon spoke up for the first time, eyes lowered. "Don't tell us that number."

Rossiu cleared his throat. "Erm, okay. Damage to command structure: All Dai-Gurren Brigade members present and accounted for, with one...exception."

All present turned to or glanced at the one empty seat at the table, opposite Kittan, who did not look up.

Zorthy pushed his cigarette around with his tongue before taking it out and exhaling a plume of smoke. "The bastards got Yoko. She should never have gone up."

Kidd snorted. "Good luck stopping that one!"

Zorthy took a drag on his cigarette. "Yeah, you're probably right. Still, I bet we would've pushed 'em back if Kittan had been able to fight."

Kittan stood, throwing his chair back, face contorted in shame and anger. "You bastard! I fought just fine out there!"

"We all saw you. You couldn't pilot a Ganman worth shit during that battle."

"I was perfectly fine!"

"You were drunk off your ass!"

Rossiu cleared his throat. "Kittan, Zorthy! Please! First item on the agenda is figuring out how to rescue Yoko. To do that, we need to figure out how to defend ourselves."

Kittan sat back down, placing his head around his hands in frustration and shame. Zorthy smirked.

"Did anyone see their new Ganmen?" asked Kidd. "Never seen anything like them before!"

"Never thought the Beastmen would be able to launch a counterattack this fast," noted Irakk. "I'm curious to know how they managed to construct a whole new army in so little time."

"Yeah, Yeah! Strange army..." "...came out of nowhere!" The twins were identically bewildered.

Makkin stroked his chin. "I'm more worried about the humans that are helping them...I mean, what are humans doing aiding Beastmen? Can't imagine a rebel faction..."

"Their membership isn't important," interjected Rossiu. "What matters now is how to defend against it. Leeron had a presentation to demonstrate to you the new Ganmen that the leader and Kittan faced but he isn't here, so…"

The Adai boy gave a shriek of surprise as Leeron rose up from beneath the table to stand next to him.

"Ack! How'd you get there?" he squawked.

"Sorry I'm late, boys...I got so caught up maintaining those big, manly mecha of yours that I plumb forgot the time!" oiled the androgynous mechanic with a particularly unsettling wink.

Kidd muttered _Machine Fetishist_ in Irakk's ear. The brothers snickered.

Rossiu waved a hand and a screen popped down from the ceiling. At the same time Nia came in carrying a platter heaped with food.

"Oh, I'm sorry...is this a command meeting?" she asked.

"Nah, you can stay," Simon reassured her. "You're a member of the Brigade too, Nia!"

"Thank you!" said Nia cheerfully. "I brought food!"

She placed the platter on the table. The other leaders regarded it with wary looks.

Nia smiled. "I know you don't like my cooking, so I got Gramps to make it instead!"

The men all sighed in relief and fell on the platter like vultures.

"That's okay, Nia" Simon patted Nia's hand. "I still love your cooking!" Nia's face somehow managed to brighten even more.

"Thank you, Simon! I made one especially for you!" She produced a separate plate, loaded with multi-coloured foodstuffs of distinctly dubious providence. Simon fell on it with gusto, managing to mutter thanks around a mouthful of...something.

Leeron clapped his hands to get attention. "Okay, boys, if you've finished satisfying yourselves, I'd like to inform you all on the new Ganmen we encountered!"

The screen flared to life. A rotating image of the three strange Ganmen from the other day appeared, with the large cloaked machine on the left and the small Lagann-esque machine on the right.

"Most of the grunt mecha were retrofits of existing models. These three, however, are unlike anything I've ever seen before. We'll start with the middle one."

Leeron snapped his fingers and the centre Ganman expanded to fill the screen as the other two slid off. It was approximately the same size as the _Gurren Lagann_ though somewhat bulkier, with two large protrusions emanating from behind the shoulders. Two long, serrated blades protruded from the lower arms.

"This is the mecha that Simon fought. As you can see, it is very close in proportion to the _Gurren Lagann_, and has a similar red colour scheme. I believe it was partially based on the _Gurren Lagann_, but with thicker armour and more weapons."

"Not like Simon needs weapons anyways," commented Zorthy. "Not when he's got his drill!"

"Yes, that does allow the _Gurren Lagann_ to be a bit more streamlined," Leeron admitted. "Notice how much boxier this mecha is."

"It's still pretty fast, and strong too," Simon interjected. "The guy who piloted it called himself Enzai Golgi. He said he was the Spiral King's Royal Knight." The assembly gasped, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Can't be! The Spiral King's dead!" yelled Dayakka.

"Ya screw up or something, Simon? You said he was dead!" demanded Kidd.

"We never did find the body..." mused Iraak.

"No, I'm sure I killed him!" protested a frantic Simon. "I stuck my Core Drill in him, and I blew a hole in his chest!" The meeting devolved into a hubbub of anxious chatter.

"Calm down, everyone! The Spiral King is dead!" shouted Rossiu, pounding his fist on the table. "The Spiral King is definitely dead! I can vouch for Simon!"

"As can I" added Nia.

"Eh, how can you say that with such confidence, Rossiu?" asked Zorthy, unconvinced.

Rossiu hesitated before answering. No, he decided. He wouldn't play that card yet.

"I have trust in Simon. I don't believe he would have survived if he hadn't killed Lordgenome."

"So, wait, do you trust me, or is it because you think I couldn't have let Lordgenome live and survived?" Simon asked, as he turned his head towards the Adai.

"Never mind. The fact of the matter is that Lordgenome is completely and totally dead. Not even he could have survived without the benefit of his abdominal cavity. This must be some kind of opportunistic Beastman commander who thought to take control following Lordegenome's demise."

"Still, that doesn't answer where they got the army," commented Dayakka. "Not even Leeron could muster that force, even with the _Dai-Gurren_'s production facilities."

"Mmm, that's true," thought Leeron out loud. "Even my genius couldn't do this. Still, I haven't managed to find anything on-file about any of those ganmen. I wonder where they came from?"

"May I answer your questions?" The assembly turned as one to the doorway.

Standing in the doorway was a small, cartoonish-looking robot, with a rectangular package strapped to its back. They watched in bewildered curiosity as the robot climbed onto the table and deposited its burden.

"Don't you know it's polite to welcome a guest?" the robot admonished. "Good grief, it was a long flight here from the _Dai-Gantei_."

It unwrapped its parcel to reveal a portable viewscreen. The Brigade leaders crowded around as it switched on.

At first there was only static. Then the static cleared, the image sharpening to reveal an opulent throne room, the centrepiece of which was a massive ebony throne with a ridiculously high back, set on a raised dais. Upon the throne lounged a cloaked and hooded figure, idly swirling a glass in one gloved hand.

"Have they received it yet? How long am I expected to sit here?" The figure took a sip of his drink. "I can't stay here forever, you know. I do, after all, have an invasion to plan. If you could call it an invasion, when there's barely anything to invade." The figure chuckled, amused by his own wit.

A voice replied from off screen. "Your Majesty, it appears the feeds have just connected. I can patch a visual from the delivery bot through the main monitor."

The robot's eyes glowed. It straightened up and swiveled its head, centering and focusing so it could view all those present.

"Ah I see them! Thank you." The figure on the screen cleared his throat and had a Beastman maid hold a mirror to his face. He nodded his contentment and dismissed the maid with a word of thanks. The figure then turned its head, as if looking at something above the camera.

"It's so nice to finally see the Great Gurren Brigade! Greetings and Salutations!"

Simon looked at the delivery robot, and looked at the viewscreen, curiosity and distrust in his eyes.

"Is it you? Are you the one who's sending these attacks against us?"

The man in the robe tisked. "Straight to the point, aren't you? Have you no notion of social pleasantries? I would have liked to have civilized conversation with you yet a while longer." Simon narrowed his eyes.

"I was raised in a hole if you call that civilized. Now, tell me, who are you? Lordgenome is dead. The Beastmen have no more reason to attack humans. You have already lost. Why do you persist in reviving the legacy of a man long dead?"

The man chuckled, perusing his nails in boredom, but Simon could see his eyes flicking from his hand to the screen.

"Ah, but that requires his legacy to be dead in the first place, does it not?" Simon growled, tired of the man's etiquette.

"I'm not cut out for this kind of talk! Just tell us who the hell you are already!" The cloaked man shook his head.

"Who am I? Who the hell am _I?_ Poor, confused human. You haven't figured it out yet? Why, I am no Beastman. Neither am I human. I am much, much more than both." The figure stood and advanced towards the camera, stalking down the steps to stop at the bottom. Gripping the edge of his robe, he flung it off himself.

His bright cloud-like hair whirled around his head in the wind of cloak's passage. His eyes shone brightly, angrily, burning purple with spiral energy. His features were strong and well-defined, if slightly effeminate. He wore pristine white robes, embroidered with a spiral pattern on the chest and down the arms. Upon his head he bore a circlet of gold.

"I am none other than Ribo Soma Teppelin, heir to the throne of Lordgenome Teppelin and future ruler of the heaven and earth! His one and only successor! I come to reclaim my throne, and you will bow before me!"

"What the hell!" Kittan blurted out. "It's a guy Nia!"

Nia heard her name and came over to see what was happening. She peered at the viewscreen.

On _Dai-Gantei_, Ribo Soma Teppelin looked into a monitor and saw his female counterpart. His eyes briefly widened, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Ah, it seems the young lady there bears a striking resemblance to me. Pray tell, what is your name?" oiled Ribo with courtly grace.

"Ah, well, I'm Nia!" chirped the girl.

"Nia, hmmm? Well, it's nice to meet you. Did you have any previous relation with my father?"

"Your father?"

"The late Spiral King Lordgenome, of course."

"Oh! He was your father? Then that means you're my brother!"

Ribo smiled. "Is that so? Your father was also Lordgenome?" His smile was so sickening that Simon couldn't even believe that she was even listening to him.

"Yes! I had no idea I had a brother! I wish he'd introduced me to you before he threw me out!" beamed the former princess. The concept of having a "bro" like how Simon did appealed to the girl.

Ribo's smile widened. "I see then. I guess I have nothing to fear. You were simply another one of his _dolls_." Nia flinched at the remark, and Simon snarled. Ribo strolled up the dais again before turning and throwing his arms wide.

"How could you ever match up to _I,_ _Ribo Soma Teppelin?_ You are nothing! _We_ are nothing! We are no siblings! Whereas you are a toy, I am pure royal blood! I am Lordgenome's only successor! Father threw you out like an ages-old turkey! I shall be made King, and if you are lucky, you may be fortunate enough to become handmaiden to my Queen!"

"Oh yeah, well don't count on it, buddy!" growled Simon, breaking the silence. "We'll never let another dictator rule over us again! Expect us to fight you every bloody yard!" Ribo chuckled, evidently amused by his defiance.

"Oh, but I think I have quite an advantage if I say so myself." He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

As the Brigade watched in horror, Yoko descended from the ceiling. She was tied and gagged, hanging from the ceiling by a thick rope. Her eyes rose, as Ribo's had, brightening as she saw her comrades. She tried to turn her head to glare at Ribo, but the would-be Spiral King was standing behind and to her left. It might have been a precaution, for the imprisoned Yoko looked ready to kill.

"Oh my..." exclaimed Nia. "Brother, what do you plan to do with Miss Yoko?" The Spiral King's face contorted in rage.

"Don't call me brother!" he spat. He breathed in to relax himself, quickly coming back under control. He smiled smugly and drew close to the captured redhead. "As for this young lady...well, as you can see, she's quite under my control. From your reactions, I'm going to assume she's important to you, hmmm? Well, I assure you I have my ways of...persuading...her. Sooner or later she'll spill all your secrets, and then if she does not retain my favor, I will dispose of her. Unless you meet these demands."

Ribo unrolled a scroll. It was empty, but it was just for show. "First of all, the rats should return to their holes. You filthy humans will return to your hovels below the ground, leaving my kingdom cleansed of your taint. I will retain all military assets, and the villages shall remain closed unless I decide to take some of you humans for my...entertainment."

"You're a human too, asshole," Zorthy growled around his cigarette. "Does that include you?"

Ribo began chuckling. It evolved into a laugh, then a booming cackle as he clutched his sides. Eventually it subsided and he straightened.

"Human?" he giggled. Mania filled his eyes as he spread his arms wide and boomed. "I am anything but! However, that is neither here nor there. Aside from the purging of you filthy lowlifes, I have but one request. Send me the _Gurren Lagann_, along with its pilot. I believe you called yourself Simon? Such a common name, I guess it's fitting. Should you abide by these demands, I shall see to it that no human is harmed." He swayed his arm to the side in courtly grace, smug grin and manic eyes gazing upon the Brigader leaders.

Kittan gave Ribo the finger, his self restraint nearly gone.

"Go to hell, ya rat bastard! You must be insane if you think we'd just hand over the _Gurren Lagann_ like that! And as for Simon, hell no! We'll never just give up a Dai-Gurren member!"

Ribo smiled, as if he were the one intelligent being the universe indulging a pack of fools.

"It's too bad, then," he said, stepped forward to stand next to Yoko. "I guess I'll have to dispose of your friend here. Or, better yet..." He caressed her far cheek, and placed his own cheek upon hers. Yoko writhed and twisted, evidently disgusted as she felt his breath upon her ear. The King looked towards the screen with a smirk of diabolic glee.

"Perhaps she can look forward to becoming my Queen and future mother of my many…"

A roar drowned out his words, the sound ringing through the mess hall. The monitor flew backwards over the table, a smoking hole in the screen, to crash into the far wall. The delivery bot squeaked in terror and tried to flee, only to be blasted apart.

Kittan slung the shotgun over his back, and stormed towards the door.

"What the hell, Kittan? Where are you going?" asked Dayakka.

"Where the hell do ya think?" shot back Kittan angrily. "I'm gonna go rescue Yoko, of course!" And he stormed out, in the direction of the Ganmen hangar.

* * *

"Your Majesty, the connection's been cut!"

Ribo shrugged. "How appropriate for such a barbaric race. That one with the scruffy blonde hair just couldn't control his emotions I suppose." He turned towards his prisoner. "You wouldn't happen to recall his name, would you, Lady Ritona?"

Yoko tried to say something around the gag. If the look in her eyes was any indication, it was not a polite word.

"Now, now. This is why I gagged you, you see? That foul mouth of yours would have completely thrown off my presence. It's quite un-ladylike, you know that?" He looked at his nails again. Yoko tried to kick, but only succeeded in swinging herself back and forth on the rope, her screams muffled.

"Tut, tut. You may just hurt yourself. I guess I'll let you down."

Some Beastman high up in the shadowy vaults of the ceiling must have heard. Yoko hit the ground heavily, followed by a long coil of rope. Ribo bent down and untied the bonds around Yoko's legs. She rose to her feet and held out her hands expectantly.

"A little hopeful, aren't you? Mmm, I think I'll just leave you like that. I'd rather not be forced to harm such a lovely lady as yourself. As for the gag, forget about it. Can't have such a filthy mouth as yours around the ruler of the world now can we?"

Ribo handed his drink off to a nearby Beastman and began walking towards the door. He turned, and noticed Yoko wasn't following.

"Well, are you coming or not?" he asked. "It's follow me or spend the day in your cell. At the very least, you should be taking this opportunity to gather intel on the off chance that those fools _do_manage to rescue you." Yoko's eyes lit up, and she followed grudgingly. Ribo laughed.

"Such hope. It is almost touching, yet so foolish."

Ribo led the way along a winding metal corridor. As Yoko walked, she noticed that the hallway was slightly curved with a downward slope. At certain intervals doors would appear on the inside of the curve, presumable leading further into the fortress. Other doorways appeared on the outside of the curve, barricaded by menacing steel doors. As time passed the curve started to even out, until it was barely noticeable.

"_Dai-Gantei_ is the crown jewel of my father's forces and the pinnacle of his military genius. This mobile fortress is quite easily capable of attaining space travel, and until recently it consistently hovered at the very edge of the stratosphere." He stopped and turned to her.

"I suppose that by now you've noticed the curve of the hallways? _Dai-Gantei_'s core is similar to a massive drill. The throne room is at the tip, and this hallway curves outward, like the edge of a drill. The doorways you see lead either inward, to the facilities in the interior of the core, or outward, leading to the outer shell. The core contains the communications centre, the main spiral generator, and all the other technical stuff that allows a ship to function, in addition to my own personal quarters, the technicians' barracks, and the high-security cells. I believe you're well acquainted with those? The outer shell completely encapsulates _Dai-Gantei_, and is heat-resistant to facilitate atmospheric re-entry. It is also a covered in fifty metres of steel, completely impenetrable to ordinary means. Of course, that's assuming anything can get past the spiral field surrounding it. The outer shell is the first line of defence, housing all the soldiers and their Ganmen. The next line of defense should, heaven forbid the shield fall, which it won't, is a weapon of my own design. It also houses the cells for lower-priority prisoners. I assure you, you should be grateful for your housing, as those cells are about as uncomfortable as I can get without tying you to the outside of the ship. But, I suppose you've grown tired of my chatter by now. Let us proceed shall we milady?"

Soon they found themselves in a vast hangar, populated by seven ganmen. They varied in size, with the smallest being the size of _Lagann_ and the largest larger than if the _King Kittan_ stood on the_Gurren Lagann_'s shoulders. A slender female Beastman in a lab coat was busy at work with one of the smaller ones, throwing objects left and right and generally looking like she didn't know what she was doing.

As Ribo stepped in, the feline ears on her head twitched. She stopped suddenly, in the middle of flinging a wrench across the room. She purred softly and straightened up, her form lithe and shapely, while turning to see the newcomers.

"_Hello_ Ribo dear. Have you come to pay me a visit?" She strolled forward, her hips swaying. She was mostly humanoid, like Lord Regent Viral, but with the ears and eyes of a cat, along with a pink tail that swayed back and forth. Her nose twitched and her eyes narrowed. "Ribo, do I scent another female?"

Ribo gestured towards Yoko. "Kuroko, this is Lady Yoko Ritona, the prisoner we captured during the raid." Kuroko leaned forward and contemplated Yoko, tail swishing. She took a long sniff.

"Yes, I recognize her scent. It was all over my precious Magatama. Took a while to scrub that one off, it did. Ribo, you need to be educated when it comes to taste in mates."

"Kuroko, please. Lady Ritona, this rather forward Beastman...or Beast-lady, I suppose, is our best mechanic. Lordgenome created her as a playmate for one of his dolls, and after he finished with her, she decided to pursue mechanical studies. She services the Ganmen of my Spiral Knights and I. She developed the Burst System with which I believe you are familiar."

Yoko's eyes narrowed, her beatdown by the cloaked Magatama still fresh in her head.

"You make it sound like a cheap hyper-mode, Ribo!" Kuroko admonished playfully. "It's more than that! The Burst Mode allows the pilot to release spiral power into the mecha, evolving it beyond what I originally designed! It is art at its finest, changing based on the user's personality!"

"Yes, I agree that it is genius, Kuroko. It is certainly the most effective way of using Spiral power in battle short of a Core Unit."

"Hmmm, yes. I believe you promised to deliver one of those to me, if I remember correctly. If only you gave me yours…"

"In due time, Kuroko. My own Core Unit was a gift from my father, I can handle it myself."

" Ribo, you're so mean! Teasing a lady like that!"

"As far as I know, Kuroko, there is only one Core Unit remaining on this world beyond my control, and it is in the hands of the humans that usurped my father."

"Hmmm, yes. I suppose you can't just ask them nicely. Oh well. I need to get back to perfecting the Burst System, if you'll excuse me." She glanced at Yoko. "By the way, if you need a leash and collar, I've got a spare."

Yoko tried to say something very rude through her gag.

"I mean, Ribo? The outfit, the bound hands, the gag...your tastes are obvious. All you need is a leash to complete the ensemble. Hell, just a collar would do."

Yoko looked ready to leap the Beastwoman and strangle her despite her hands being tied together. Ribo pulled her out of the hangars and down the hallway before she could lose control.

Kuroko leaned out of the door, waving. "Buh-bye, Ribo darling! Remember your promise, honey!"

Once they were out of sight, Ribo untied Yoko's gag.

"I apologize for that, Lady Ritona," he apologized. "Kuroko is of a rather...unique temperament. If you can promise to keep your language clean, I'll leave the gag off."

"Fine, I guess," she responded gruffly, her yellow eyes still glaring at her captor. "Still not promising I won't kill you."

Ribo chuckled. "As if a lady such as yourself could harm me."

Yoko sniffed. "I'll have you know, I was able to beat up everyone back in Ritona. 'Cept maybe Dayakka, pretty sure he let me win. In any case, I could out-shoot all of them by the mile."

"Well, you'll have to refrain from such behavior in the future. And although you may dress like this when around me… you will also be required to dress appropriately when around company." He looked pointedly at her outfit. The redhead blushed.

Yoko snorted. "Why should I be forced to listen to you?" The boy looked at her with a knowing look, as if he was going to point out the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why, because I intend to make you my queen of course." Yoko stared at him for a while.

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

Ribo sighed. "Lady Ritona, what did I say about the swearing? I'll have to detain you in your cell now."

"That's if you can catch me! Hell if I'm going back to that hole!" She started sprinting down the hallway.

Before she had gone more than twenty steps, however, she felt a hand tighten around her arm. She lost her footing and would have tripped if Ribo hadn't held her up.

"Damn you! Bet you couldn't take me in a fight, coward! You hide behind your Beastman servants and those Nucleo-whatevers you talked about, but you never fight do you? I'll never abandon the Dai-Gurren Brigade! You'll never get the respect Simon has! You can just go to hell, you little..."

Ribo laid his hand on her head, and Yoko promptly fell asleep. She rolled her head, muttering expletives as she dreamed. Ribo shook his head in exasperation as he carried her back to the cells.

'_What a troublesome woman,_' he thought to himself.

* * *

Kittan sat cross-legged on top of his ganman, looking into the sky. The stars winked down at him, and he blinked back. Vaguely, he wondered if Yoko was able to view the stars from wherever she was.

_Gurren Lagann_ stomped up next to him and knelt on one knee. The helmet's hatch slid open, and Simon stood up to look at the stars as well. For a while both stood there, neither saying a word.

"I thought you were going after Yoko?" Simon finally said. Kittan did not look down.

"I was all ready to launch before I realized that I had no idea where I was going. So, here I am."

They stood a while in silence again.

"Ya think Yoko's okay?" asked Kittan.

"Maybe. Rossiu told me something about hostage situations, like how it relies on the idea that Ribo won't hurt her. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he's okay. Don't worry, we'll rescue her."

"That's a big maybe though."

Simon did not reply, not wanting to think what things Lordgenome's supposed heir might have done to Yoko. For a long time Simon had thought that only Beastmen were evil. Now he knew that, when given the right circumstances, even humans could become devils.

"Man, that air of confidence." Kittan leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes, smiling. "Y'know, I always thought that I would be the one to lead the Gurren Brigade after Kamina bought it...but now that I look back on it, I realize he intended you to take his place from the beginning." Simon smiled too.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I think you could have done a pretty good job of it, Kittan."

"Naw, I can't lead people like you can. All I'm good for is fightin'. An' now I'm not sure I can do even that." Kittan's smile turned upside down in shame upon his memory of the other night.

"Kittan..."

"That day? I should've been able to fight those guys no sweat. But I couldn't do jack. I was so drunk from celebrating I don't even remember much other than getting my ass handed to me."

"Kittan, nobody blames you for anything," Simon insisted. "You didn't do anything wrong! How could we have expected Lordgenome to have an heir? No, all we care about now is getting Yoko back and paying that bastard back for all the people he killed."

Kittan laughed, once.

"Man, Simon, you're a hell of a leader. I can't even get angry with myself after what you said. Don't worry, I'm not gonna off myself like some kind o' coward. I'll follow you to the very end, Simon, and we'll get Yoko back, together."

"You got it. After all, just the who the hell do you think we are?"

They both laughed and stared up, not knowing of another person watching them from the _Dai-Gurren_'s command center.

Kiyal looked on, at once worrying about her brother and at the same time confident that Simon would pull Kittan through. Two of the people that she cared for most deeply. Her gaze wandered up to the stars that watched over all of them, and she wondered if they knew how the future would play out.

A shooting star streaked across the sky, as if in answer to her silent question.

**Big thanks to 1 over 0 for helping out this time. I may be doing a Nucleotide rewrite so be on the watch.**

**Written by 1 over 0, and edited by Zaru and Juubi-K.**


	7. Tiger Sharks strike from below

**Written by 1 over 0 and Zaru. Edited by the two mentioned and Juubi-K.**

**Gainax owns Gurren Lagann. The Legion of the Helix and its mecha belong to us.**

"So let's continue where we left off," said Rossiu as he sat in his chair next to Simon at the large table. "Hopefully, we'll be able to keep a semblance of order long enough this time to come to a proper decision."

He panned his gaze slowly over the assembled Dai-Gurren members. Kittan averted his eyes in shame, while Zorthy only snorted and blew a large cloud of cigarette smoke. Kidd and Iraak looked serious, for once: in Kidd's case because Dayakka had threatened him with Nia's cooking, and in Iraak's because Yoko wasn't around to distract him. Her absence was still acutely felt, to the extent that an empty chair had been pulled up just for her. The twins were, as always, sweating nervously in the face of decision-making.

"Just in case of another interruption, I'll be brief," started Rossiu. "The important facts, as we know them, are that we're completely at the mercy of an unknown and unpredictable enemy. The extent of his forces is completely unknown, and his next attack could potentially be devastating."

"Pffffft!" spat Kidd. "Like it's any worse than it was with Lordgenome. It was the same thing then too, and we came out all right. This kid can't possibly be worse than his father."

"I don't know..." mused Simon quietly. "This has a different feel to it. Ribo's...different from his father. In some ways they're similar, but in others, they're completely different."

"Regardless," interjected Rossiu. "Our first priority is protecting the citizens of Kamina City."

"Not much of a city any more," commented Zorthy with a bitter laugh.

"Therefore," said Rossiu, "I've taken the liberty of organizing a plan to have all survivors loaded onto Dai-Gurren."

"Is there enough room?" asked Dayakka. "And I think you should have consulted me before loading extra personnel on my ship."

"Chill, big guy," said Zorthy, dragging on his cigarette. "It's not like there's all that many. You should have plenty of room."

"Rossiu got my approval," said Simon apologetically. "I just haven't had the chance to talk to you before now, Dayakka."

"But won't they impede our combat ability?" asked Iraak, leaning forward with hands upon his knees. "If they're in the way, or if they become a liability...And it's not like we can take the fight to Ribo if we're protecting a bunch of noncombatants."

"If anything they'll serve as extra hands," said Rossiu. "It's not like we have an excess of crew members."

"Besides, we'll just dump any extras at a shelter somewhere and then take off to find Ribo," said Kidd, leaning back. "I _do_ assume that's what you're planning to do, right Rossiu?"

"That's the other point I'd like to discuss," continued Rossiu, "As Kittan here found out the other day, we have no idea where the enemy is."

Kittan's face was red with shame and embarrassment as the smoker smirked.

"I can imagine!" said Zorthy with a cold chuckle. "Probably flew around for hours before realizing it, too."

"Zorthy!" snapped Rossiu. "If you cannot restrain yourself, I'll have to evict you from the discussion!"

Zorthy made no comment, but chuckled darkly. He tried to take another drag on his cigarette, but found it was nearly spent. He reached into his pocket, took out another, and lit it up.

"We have no idea where the leader is located," continued Rossiu. "However. Conversations we intercepted during the battle suggested that there are several other bases established globally. Capturing one of these instalments could provide us with the information necessary to root out Ribo Soma Teppelin. Once we have a confirmed location, we can go for the kill."

"But do we know where any of _those_ are?" asked Makken.

"...No, unfortunately we do not. However, when the next attack occurs, Leeron thinks he may be able to isolate one of their bases if we manage to capture an enemy Ganman intact."

"Like we did with _Gurren_," added Simon.

"So we wait?" said Kittan. Everyone jumped because he had been so quiet thus far. "We wait until the bastards come to finish us off, and only then do we do anything?"

"Yes," admitted Rossiu. "That is the plan, essentially."

"And this plan of yours will take us to Yoko?"

Rossiu was silent a moment before responding. Then, "...Yes. Most likely one of the bases will contain information on where Yoko is being held."

"Then if that's all settled, I'll wait," said Kittan, scraping back his chair to stand. "But I'm not going to sit around if nothing else is going to get done today. Have a good day, all of you." And Kittan left.

"He always seems the one who's unable to sit around," remarked Dayakka. "I would've pegged the twins to be the ones to get up and leave."

All eyes turned to the bumbling afro twins. They were, indeed, visibly struggling to stay still.

"Aw, get out of here you two," said Simon with a smile.

The twins immediately rose and bowed their way out, chanting thank you in unison.

"It looks like this meeting's pretty much over," said Kidd. "Supreme Commander, do you officially adjourn this council?"

Simon nodded, and the other members filed out. He himself stayed behind, however, while Rossiu shuffled and organized several papers.

"Are you happy, Rossiu?" he asked his right hand man. "We have a plan now. Myself, I feel much less stressed."

"Speak for yourself," said Rossiu. "There's still so much to figure out. Plans for the refugees, plans to ration the food, plans to keep the Ganmen operational...You know, you always seem to stick me with the organizing. I never get any help."

"I leave it all to you because you're good at it!" said Simon, slapping Rossiu's back. "Besides, you know none of us are any good at this. If you find anybody else you think would be helpful, then I'll induct him or her into the Brigade with all speed. Hell, you can have a division all to yourself, just for your planners!"

Rossiu smiled. "Thanks, Simon. But I don't think I'll have the time to go recruiting. For now, I'll content myself with my work."

"But don't push yourself too hard," warned Simon. "You're no use to me if you work so hard your brain fries and you end up one of the twins. Then they'd be triplets."

The two young men laughed together at the joke. Then they left and went their separate ways, one to oversee Ganman repairs, the other to create more plans to keep the Brigade running.

* * *

Nia found herself in a familiar position; that is, being unable to help in any significant way. She was unwanted in the kitchen, she knew, though she was glad that Old Coco let her in to cook for Simon. Nevertheless, she was determined to help. She had tried helping in the Ganman hangars, but Leite had just laughed her off. She had tried helping in the kitchen, this time as cleaning crew, but Old Coco had quietly shooed her out again. She was fairly certain that it was because she was getting in the way. Finally she had tried helping some of the men carry things around. That went about as well as could be expected.

So it was that she found herself with the refugees, telling stories.

"So then the biiiig dragon came out and roared, but the brave knight stood defiant! And the dragon breathed fire, and all of the knight's armour melted off!"

The children listened closely, enraptured by her tale. The ones that would listen, anyway; many sat staring into nowhere, or clutched rigidly to a parent. It saddened Nia immensely, but she was very careful not to let it show on her face. Instead she wore a big grin as she wrapped up her story.

"But the knight still wouldn't give up, and attacked with his sword and shield! But the dragon spat out little balls of fire, and melted those too."

The children leaned closer, eager to know whether or not the knight would win. Inwardly Nia chuckled; they should already know how it ended. They'd heard the story before, in a different form.

"The dragon snatched up the knight and held him in front of his huge mouth filled with sharp teeth! And the dragon said, 'I shall enjoy eating you, little knight!' But the knight still refused to give up, and he stuck his finger in the dragon's eye! And then he said, 'You don't scare me, dragon!' and in response to his bravery, his magical powers woke up, and the magic spiraled down his arm and blew the dragon to smithereens!"

The children all cheered at the knight's victory. Nia smiled, genuinely this time; though she knew she was casting her father as the villain, it still cheered her to remember that day.

"Another one, another one!" cried one of the children. The others took up his cry, and soon it became a cacophony of pleas for another story.

"I'm sorry," said Nia apologetically. "You've exhausted me of all my stories. I need some time to think of another.

There was a wave of "awwwws" and even an isolated boo, but the children slowly dispersed. One figure remained, however, who was not a child at all.

"But what happened after?" asked Kinon quietly, her face revealing nothing.

Nia smiled. "As if you didn't know," she teased.

The glassed Bachika thought otherwise.

"All I know is, another dragon showed up, bigger and stronger than the last," said Kinon. "And he had a bunch of like-minded dragons under him, all as strong the previous one, if not more. Can the knight take care of this one?"

"Of course!" said Nia immediately. "He's got his own group of like-minded knights to back him up!"

"Yes, but the dragon kidnapped a damsel," countered Kinon in cynicism. "Can the knights save her?"

"Cheer up, Kinon!" said Nia, aware of just what exactly Kinon was getting at. "You know everything's going to be all right."

Kinon drew her knees together. "I guess..." she muttered.

"What's wrong?" asked Nia, sensing something was off.

"It's just...I don't have anything I can do to help."

Nia laughed. "How like myself! I know; you can be my storytelling partner!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Kinon. "I can't come up with stories and tell them the way you can. Stage fright, I guess."

"Don't look so sad!" said Nia brightly. "I know! You can go help Rossiu!"

"Rossiu?" asked Kinon.

"Yes! I heard he's looking for people to help him do his organizing!"

"Oh..." said Kinon, disappointed. "I can't do that. I'll be no help."

"Nonsense!" said Nia. "You're smart. I can tell because you wear glasses." Kinon laughed, and Nia frowned.

"No, really!" protested Nia. "I heard the only reason they know you need them is 'cuz you read a lot! If you read so much, you _must_ be smart!"

Kinon reached out and hugged Nia. Nia was surprised and so was slow to hug back.

"Thank you, Nia," said Kinon. "You really cheered me up. You keep doing what you do best." And then Kinon left to find Rossiu.

Nia looked after her, smiling, happy she could do so much to help her friend. Then she began forming a new story, with the same knight, and a new dragon, and a damsel. And as with all her stories, it would end with a happily ever after.

Kiyal watched the encounter from the other end of the room, where she was distributing food. She then gave a stare at Nia before looking down at her basket, realizing it was empty. Then she too walked off.

* * *

"It's ready-nya." Ribo turned to see Kuroko behind him. She walked closer, stopping a mere metre away.

"I finished your little request, Ribo hon," said Kuroko sweetly. "Now how about your promise? I need fodder for new ideas, after all, and your Core Unit would make for an excellent research project-nya."

"I told you, I can't," said Ribo dismissively. "And you know why."

"But that's why it'd be perfect!" countered Kuroko. "It's not like you're using it. Hand it over, and I could probably hotwire it and-"

"No."

"You're no fun, Ribo," complained Kuroko. "Why won't you let me take a look at it? And you won't use any other mecha; the Kuzanagi was originally intended for you, you know. Nya."

"I know," said Ribo. "I just...look, you can't have the Core Unit. That is the one thing I cannot give you right now."

"Then maybe you can give me something else," purred Kuroko, sidling up close to Ribo. He felt her body pressing against his, but he didn't flinch as his eyes fixed on the catgirl's own.

"What is it?" asked Ribo calmly. Kuroko leaned her head close, mouth to his ear.

"Send them out now," she breathed in his ear.

"Now?" asked Ribo.

"Now. I've already picked out the pilot."

"I don't have any upcoming missions, though," said Ribo. "The only thing on schedule right now is being taken care of by the Knights."

"That's why I want you to send them out now," said Kuroko sharply. "You can't be completely clueless to your underlings' thoughts, can you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Ribo, genuinely surprised. "I haven't been aware of anything."

Kuroko drew away, shaking her head in disappointment. "You really are clueless, aren't you-nya," she said, scratching her head. Ribo looked urgent for whatever reason.

"Kuroko, please tell me," said Ribo. "What have I been missing?"

"Just trust me, Ribo hon," said Kuroko. "You have to send Viral out this time." She took out a folder and handed it over to him. "All the information's there. You just have to make the decision. I'll have them warmed up and ready to go in the hangar; just send them down when you're ready-nya."

"I guess I'll listen to you this time," said Ribo, looking through the documents in the folder. "But I'm disappointed that you won't tell me your reasoning."

"_I'm_ disappointed that you don't already know what I'm talking about," said Kuroko. "I'll let you figure this one out for yourself-nya."

"Fine, fine," said Ribo. "But what happens if I don't figure it out?"

"Then I guess you're not fit to be king," said Kuroko obliquely with a playful smirk. She turned and walked away, whistling tunelessly. Ribo's mind churned, trying to think of what he'd overlooked. He shrugged, putting it off for now, and walked away to find his knights.

* * *

The Knights were suited up in the hangar, waiting for their lord's blessing to enter into battle. Viral stood nearby as well, not in his piloting suit; he was to stay with Ribo for the duration, as he had last time. It galled him slightly, sitting on the sidelines as the Knights fought Simon, but he was certain that Simon would survive. And when he came after Ribo, the Knights would very likely fail, and Viral would be waiting.

Ribo swept into the hangars, garbed in his habitual royal robes. The wind from the open hangar doors swept the robes about, sending them fluttering around Ribo. It was very impressive, thought Viral, but ultimately pointless. Some of Ribo's antics were comparable with Cytomandra's dramatics. However, while Cytomandra was a fool and an incompetent, Ribo was actually capable of getting things done and had the bite to back up his bark. So Viral put up with it.

The wind temporarily abated, and Ribo's robes fell to the ground, revealing another behind him. Viral was surprised; it was one of Ribo's "Nucleotypes" the glorified clone soldiers from before. He bore blue hair, and like all the other Nucleotypes, he had those strange green eyes. He was similar to Viral in some aspects, but a bit taller and bore the same uniform as Mito. Except that while Mito's uniform was garnered in medals and custom colors, the soldier bore no insignia of rank or honour. What was a common soldier doing at the send-off for the Spiral Knights?

Ribo stopped before his Knights, eyeing them coldly. The soldier stopped as well, slightly behind Ribo and to the side. He made no move to bow or kneel. Viral looked him over; nothing stood out to immediately distinguish him from any of the others. The question remained: what was he doing here?

"A change of plans," said Ribo, evidently soon to answer Viral's unspoken question. "My Knights, you will not participate in this battle."

The Knights took it in remarkably good stride. Viral had expected Enzai or Clora to complain loudly, or at least frown. Apparently their loyalty to their leader was greater than their collective discontent.

"Instead, my Regent will lead the troops into battle to purge our enemies from the fallen capital."

_This_ caused a reaction. Enzai's faced twitched, while Clora was openly irritated. Mito was, as usual, completely unflappable, lighting another cigar. But Viral's own reaction was the greatest; his mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened.

"But my Lord!" said Viral. "I don't even have a Ganman to pilot! I thought the Enkidudu was scrapped!"

"Isn't it fortunate that I have taken steps to remedying that?" said Ribo. He turned to the operator's booth in the rear wall and waved.

There was a clanking and a rattling, then the sound of a chain being lowered. Then the two Ganmen came into view. One was the _Enkidudu_, once more shining in all its glory. Ribo's mechanics had done well in repairing it. However, the other one was more interesting. It was short and stout, and with stubby little legs and short, thin arms. It was another copy of _Lagann_, like the _Kuzanagi,_ but with a different design. This small mecha was blue and brown, contrasting with _Kuzanagi_'s shades of purple. It was not as menacing as Mito's personal Ganman, but it had a series of metal plates over where the mouth was which covered it in a shape reminiscent of something Viral had once seen in an old entertainment video. Ninjas, he recalled.

"Behold the remodelled _Enkidudu_ and the new Ganman, the _Zesshozeiki_," said Ribo grandly. "I've taken the liberty of ordering Kuroko to make several modifications that you'll find...interesting."

"That's great," said Viral, "But why did you build the other one? I assume it's for the guy behind you, but I can't seem to figure out why."

"This man - or more than man I should say," said Ribo, "is Phives Dias, one of my soldiers. As you can see, he has no rank, and no decorations. He is not, by far, the most distinguished of my soldiers. However," added Ribo, "that is not why I chose him. Phives was chosen for other qualities that will prove useful to me. In addition, he has no need of rank anymore. As of now, Phives holds the position of Aide to the Lord Regent."

Ribo waited to see what reaction his announcement would get. He was only slightly disappointed when nothing happened. The Knights were either unimpressed or masking their emotions. Ribo would bet on the latter. He shrugged inwardly; his Knights were disciplined. Nothing would come of it.

* * *

SLAM.

Viral winced as he hit the wall shoulder first. The aforementioned shoulder throbbed slightly in pain, but it was nothing compared to serving under Adiane.

Enzai stood before him, cracking his knuckles with a glare adorning his features. Mito stood off to the side, already changed into his everyday clothes; Viral wasn't sure how he'd managed to do that so fast. He smoked his cigar nonchalantly, neither ignoring nor paying attention to the confrontation in front of him. Phives stood by the door, arms crossed, saying nothing, doing nothing. He was like a soulless machine; his expression betrayed no hint of emotion. _Working with him is going to be fun,_ thought Viral sarcastically.

Enzai, however; his face was more open. Although he held it mostly still, there were cracks in the mask of disdain. Anger leaked out, in the set of his eyes, the angle of his eyebrows, and, most importantly, the giant hand reaching out to grab Viral by the scruff of the neck.

"Aren't you a prettyboy?" remarked Enzai as he got up close and personal in Viral's face. "I see why you're Lord Ribo's favourite. You and he must get along famously."

"Enough, Enzai," said Mito, interfering for the first time. "You know His Majesty doesn't play favourites."

"Yeah, right," snorted Enzai in Viral's face. "That's why this guy comes along and gets all these privileges out of nowhere, including being the one to drive out the humans after we already weakened them."

"Is that what this is about?" said Viral derisively, defiant look on his face as he stared at the orange-haired knight. "You're a battle-lover. I knew a couple of guys like you. They never lasted long."

_Wham._

The fist came from the left, the hand that wasn't busy holding Viral against the wall. Viral's head snapped to his left, creaking on its moorings. He could see Phives, looking on noncommittally._Bastard_.

"You're not exactly going to gain points with His Majesty for beating him up," said Mito. "If anything, he's going to be pissed when he asks Viral about the black eye he's going to get."

"You forget," sneered Enzai. "This guy's an immortal, all fancy. He's got some sort of regeneration that'll heal him up in no time, no matter how hard I break him."

"Still," said Mito. "I'd advise against it. You should ask yourself: is it really worth the time?"

Enzai was silent for a moment, during which Viral was allowed to breathe somewhat. Then he redoubled his grip and leaned in closer than before.

"Listen up, you poor excuse for a humanoid," snarled Enzai. "You'd better not fail this mission. Because someday, I want to fight you, Ganman to Ganman, and if you fail I'll execute you myself. Although, really, I win either way."

Enzai released him then, and Viral fell. He did not fall to the floor, however; he landed on his feet and stayed there, leaning against the wall only slightly. Enzai spat on the ground in front of him and left the change room, closely followed by Mito.

Viral stood up straighter and spat out a tooth. He then wiped at his mouth; no blood. Lordgenome's gift was truly amazing. He could already feel the lost tooth growing back. He looked over at Phives. The clone had started changing again, pulling on the jumpsuit that was worn for piloting.

"What was that about?" asked Viral, irritated. "Didn't you think it might be prudent to protect your commander?"

"In the barracks," replied Phives, "Any fights were to be observed but there was no interference. Anyone who got involved, including the defender, was to be reported as a failure. Without good reason, I'd be declared a failure myself."

"And that reason would be?" asked Viral.

"Extensive property damage."

Viral spat. His saliva was clear, but he could still taste an iron tang. "So you'd only interfere in the case that it became too destructive."

"Yes sir."

"So will you report Enzai as a failure?"

"No, sir," said Phives, shaking his head. "I suppose the same rules don't apply to the Knights and yourself."

"You suppose?" snapped Viral. "Next time, think about helping me out."

"I don't know, sir," said Phives, shaking his head again. "If you asked me, it looked like you were more than capable of beating Enzai. You just chose not to."

"Insightful," said Viral, smirking as he reached for his own pilot suit. "You may just be useful to me after all."

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your commendation."

* * *

The attack came soon. Sooner than expected. Truth be told, none of the humans had expected another attack this fast, despite all of Rossiu's warnings. Although the pilots were already in their Ganmen, and the gunners at their stations, and everybody else prepared for battle at all times, none of them had truly expected an attack this soon after the last.

"Enemies sighted!" blared Tetsukan's voice over the PA. "All hands move to battle stations! All non-combatants are ordered to proceed to their designated secure area! Repeat: All hands to battle stations!"

Kittan sat in the King Kittan's cockpit, waiting patiently for the order to move out. Inwardly he was raging to fly at the enemy and blow stuff up, but he was determined to follow orders this time.

"All right!" called Simon over the open channel. "Is everybody ready?" The airwaves were filled with cheers.

"Remember Rossiu's orders! If you see a chance to take one intact, go for it! Other than that, let's show these punks what the Brigade can do!"

_Dai-Gurren's_ deck opened, letting bright noonday sunlight into the hangars. All the Ganmen deployed at once, flying into the clear blue sky, trailing streaks of blue energy and one streak of green energy.

"Leeron! Tetsukan!" called Dayakka from his position on the command deck. "What can you tell me about the enemy?"

"It's different from last time," said Tetsukan. "There are no aerial units, only land-bound Ganmen, approaching from both the front and back. I can't see why they're all grounded, but that's the way it seems. Even the carriers are landwalkers, and they're all _Dai-Gunzan_ minitypes. There are none of those strange ships from last time, thank goodness."

"They don't have anything to destroy anymore!" said Zorthy from the _Sozoshin_'s cockpit. "They'll ditch the mass area attacks in favour of concentrating their fire on us!"

"Unfortunate but true," agreed Rossiu from _Gurren_'s cockpit. "Still, their attachment to the ground should work to our advantage. We can do to them like they did to us."

"Agreed," said Simon. "We'll fly above and bombard them. Once they get into the city, though, we'll have to fight on their terms because of the buildings."

"Urban warfare," remarked Makken. "It'll be a lot harder coordinate among the ruins."

"We'll manage!" yelled Kittan. "Now you bozos quit yakkin' and let's get those bastards!"

There was a roar of assent, and the Dai-Gurren Brigade dispersed to attack their opponents.

* * *

"They've engaged," said Phives coolly. "The Brigade has dispersed through the air in order to bombard our troops."

"How're they doing?" asked Viral.

"Surprisingly, they're doing quite well. There are a number of new Ganmen, undoubtedly recruited from the civilians in order to replenish their ranks, but they are receiving minimal casualties. Our forces, on the other hand, aren't doing so well."

"About as I expected," said Viral. "Our guys will do better once they're in the ruins. As for us, we'll proceed as planned."

"About that. What's the status of our preparations?"

"No, goddammit, we're not there yet!"

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand."

"It's a joke, Phives. A joke."

"I see. Should I be laughing?"

"It's a little late now."

* * *

Simon flew over the battlefield, raining miniature drills down upon the enemy below. Several of the minitypes fired at him with their flak cannons, but Simon swerved the _Gurren Lagann_ and destroyed them with well-placed drills.

"This is too easy," worried Simon. "Either Ribo's lost his touch, or he's got something up his sleeve."

"Undoubtedly," agreed Rossiu. "There are most likely several more powerful units hidden in the minitypes."

"But we've destroyed quite a few, and we haven't seen any yet," remarked Simon. "I'm most worried about those Spiral Knights. Wherever they show up, there'll be trouble."

"All the more reason you should give control to me," said Rossiu. "We'll need to save your strength for when they show up."

"Thank you, Rossiu," said Simon, releasing the controls. "It's great of you to come along. We all thought you were done piloting."

"I was," said Rossiu as he swooped down to destroy a squadron of Ganmen. "But who else is going to back you up?"

"Kittan, Kiyoh, Kinon, Kiyal...especially Kiyal."

"She's gotten really involved lately, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," said Simon. "Then again, everybody's working hard."

Rossiu detached the shades and fell to the ground, spinning and dicing up several Ganmen.

"You've gotten good, Rossiu!" remarked Simon. "That was something else!"

"I was trying to get one intact," grunted Rossiu as the Ganmen exploded around him. "It's not working."

"East come, easy go," said Simon. "They're entering the city now. We'll have to stay grounded and follow them in."

All of a sudden, the enemy gunfire ceased. All of the enemy Ganmen ran into the city, taking cover in the buildings. Each minitype stopped and aimed its cannons skywards. In perfect synchronization they fired up into the sky.

But these weren't regular shells. Instead the projectiles unfolded and twisted, each turning into an alien metal shape. They were cone shaped, with a gatling cannon at the tip of the cone and another machine gun underneath it. Their thrusters were at the ends of the cones, which consisted of small levi-spheres. The drones screeched and screamed through the sky, attacking the Dai-Gurren Brigade.

"And there's Ribo's trump card," said Rossiu exhaustedly.

"You need a break, Rossiu," said Simon, grinning. "I think it's my turn to take control." And the Gurren Lagann flew into the sky to combat this new threat.

* * *

Ribo opened the door quietly, and closed it likewise. His feet made no more than a silent rustling as he walked across the carpet as he walked up to the small table next to the window and sat in one of the two beautifully crafted chairs that rested near it. He placed what he carried on the table; a silver tray with two teacups and a steaming teapot, along with a container of sugar. He poured two cups, one for himself, and one for his guest.

Across from him, Yoko sat gazing out across the well-maintained gardens and out to the glass dome that covered Ribo's estate at the top of _Dai-Gantei_. From there she looked out across the barren wastes of her home, the Earth, and out to the dark sky twinkling with stars. She made no move to acknowledge Ribo, not even taking the proffered teacup. Ribo left it sitting near her.

"My lady Ritona, it is a pleasure to meet with you once more," said Ribo courteously. "I am hoping we can enjoy our time together."

Yoko said nothing.

"We will be spending many hours together, in the future," continued Ribo, unperturbed. "It's best that we get to know each other."

Yoko sighed and looked down at her lap. Then she looked up, out to the stars, and then she looked at Ribo and sighed again.

"All right," she relented. "I'll play your game." She took the teacup and drained it all in one swallow. She set it down again and folded her arms.

"Well...tell me about yourself," said Ribo.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well..." Ribo struggled to find a suitable question. Yoko stared unflinchingly at him. She sighed yet again, shaking her head.

"Fine, fine. I was born and raised in the village of Ritona. I've fought Ganmen since the age of twelve, which was when I got my rifle. I've lost track of how many I've taken down as the years have gone by. And in all my life, I have never, ever worn one of these." She pinched at the purple dress she wore. It was fairly simple, though the fabric was of high quality; she was thankful that Ribo hadn't chosen one of the really fancy dresses that looked incredibly uncomfortable. As it was, she could feel it restricting her movement. Somehow wearing something Ribo had picked out managed to make her feel exposed, though what she normally ran around in was much more revealing.

"Undoubtedly," said Ribo. "You'll have to wear one, though. You can keep your old clothes. I'm not going to force you to burn them or anything. But for modesty's sake, you'll have to wear dresses."

"Because I'm going to be your wife," intoned Yoko monotonously. "What the hell's up with that, anyway? I know I'm attractive, but you can hardly simply choose the first girl you meet to be your wife. I mean, aren't there other Nucleotype girls you can take in?"

"Remember what I told you the other day about evolution?" said Ribo.

Yoko nodded, remembering the chat they'd had as she sat tied to a chair. Hardly a forgettable experience, even with how she normally spent her days.

"Well, you see, evolution never stops. Even when we think we have attained perfection, environmental circumstances can change and we may find ourselves needing to adapt again. My genes can't go to waste; I have to get them back into the gene pool somehow." The redhead's eyes went up.

"Wait, so you're saying..." said Yoko disbelievingly.

"Yes. I need to produce offspring in order to continue my line. Though they are intended to spread to populate the Earth, the Artificial Nucleotypes aren't as suited to having healthy children as a human woman would b.."

Yoko's mouth opened and closed. She pointed, she looked like she might say something, then her arm dropped. Then she did the last thing Ribo had expected. She laughed without abandon.

"Wh...What?" exclaimed Ribo, astonished and blushing, as Yoko nearly dropped off of her chair in a fit of laughter which only doubled upon seeing the boy king blushing like a normal kid his age.

"You...You're so...Ahahahaha! Oh God, you're so...Hahahaha!"

"Lady Ritona, compose yourself!" ordered Ribo, standing.

"Oh Ribo, just...just leave. Get out. I can't take you seriously any more."

"You'd better change that idea," huffed Ribo. "But as per your request, I shall leave."

And Ribo left Yoko struggling for breath in between gasps of laughter.

"Oh wow…at least he has one similarity to Nia other than his looks."

* * *

The drones whizzed about, harassing the Brigade with machine-gun fire. Their little yellow frames were too small and too fast to be fought effectively, and although their bullets were weak, they had plenty of them.

"Dammit!" cursed Kittan as another burst of drone bullets ripped along his hull. "These things are annoying! I can't even see them half the time!"

"This isn't working!" yelled Kidd as he unleashed another spray of bullets, failing to hit anything. "We can't fight them!"

"Well we can't just leave them!" protested Rossiu. "Who knows what they may be capable of? For all we know, they might be filled with explosives!"

"Rossiu's right!" agreed Simon. "But we can't just ignore the land battle either! The enemy Ganmen are still advancing! Everybody, get down on the ground and fight them in the streets!"

"Can you handle it?" asked Iraak anxiously. _Ainzer_ began pulling back, its guns stopping their fire.

"I've had worse! Just take care of the ground forces!"

"You'd better come back alive!" ordered Kidd. "It'll be a major hassle if you die!"

"I don't plan on doing anything of the sort!" grinned Simon. "Let's go then!"

The other Brigadeers pulled back, dropping to the ground to take defensive positions in the ruined streets surrounding Dai-Gurren. Simon, on the other hand, stayed airborne, facing the cloud of drones alone.

"They're kind of unimpressive," said Simon.

"Don't underestimate them," warned Rossiu. "I'm here too, you know."

"So I see," said Simon, detaching _Gurren_'s shades. "Let's see how many we can get in one throw!"

He threw the shades, sending them arcing through the cloud of drones. Strings of explosions were left in the wake, lighting up the blue sky.

* * *

"Sir, we've received a report that the _Automata_ have been launched."

"Good, good. I presume that means our forces are inside the city, then?"

"Of course. They were able to cover considerable ground while the Brigade engaged the _Automata_."

"And then?"

"The Brigade had quite a bit of trouble with them. Eventually they all pulled back to defend the streets, except-"

"Except Simon, of course."

"Of course."

"Poor guy must be having a rough time, looking after so many things at once. I almost feel sorry I'm going to be adding to his plate."

"Pardon me, sir, but I didn't peg you as one to show compassion for the enemy."

"...You don't understand sarcasm either, do you?"

"Evidently not sir."

* * *

The door to Yoko's chambers opened and closed again. Once more Yoko didn't bother looking towards the door as she readjusted her dress, causing her bosom to bounce a little.

"Go away, Ribo," she said crisply.

"Pardon me, but I'm not Ribo milady."

Mito's voice was softer and more feminine than Ribo's, and altogether less arrogant. Yoko turned around to look at the androgynous First Spiral Knight, who was smoking his customary cigar in mouth.

"And what do you want with me?" she demanded.

"Just wanted to talk a bit with our captive."

Mito sat on the bed and took off his glasses. He wiped them clean, and replaced them on his nose. Yoko just looked on dispassionately.

"The thing is, Miss Yoko," began Mito after blowing a cloud of cigar smoke, "you confuse me quite a bit."

"I tend to do that," replied Yoko, leaning back and stretching her arms in the air. "It's very tiring, especially with Ribo."

"You've spent some time with His Majesty, I know. How did you find him?"

Yoko snorted. "Do you want my honest opinion?" she asked playfully.

"I see that you're quite disdainful of him." From the look on his face the androgynous Knight wasn't surprised.

"Damn right I am."

"But you see," said Mito, "that is my problem. Though it's clear you dislike him, and that you'd like dearly to leave this place, you've never tried to kill him."

Yoko raised an eyebrow.

"I know all about you," continued Mito. "I know you'd be perfectly capable. I know you have at least two improvised weapons concealed on your person at this very moment."

"Three," corrected Yoko with a mischievous grin.

"And yet you've never tried, no matter how many opportunities you've had to be with him, without any guards. Why?"

Yoko rocked back in her chair, face angled towards the ceiling. She then leaned forwards, hands upon knees, and looked Mito in the eye.

"What are you looking for?" she said quietly. "What are you hoping? Do you think I might say that I'm actually in love with him?"

"Well, no, but-"

" 'Cause I'm not. And I'm not going to say that I think he's misunderstood either, because I understand him perfectly, and I think the only one who doesn't understand him is himself. I don't care about my own welfare, if that's what you're thinking. I'd murder him in an instant for the sake of my friends and the human race in general. I harbour no sympathy towards him, no pity, and I most certainly have not contracted Stockholm Syndrome."

"You covered love twice. I get it."

"Ribo doesn't. Or, at least, he doesn't care."

"One of the reasons you hate him?"

" 'Course," said Yoko, leaning back again. "But I still haven't answered your question. You want to know why I don't kill him?"

"That _was_ my question."

"Peace."

"What?" asked Mito, surprised for the first time Yoko has seen him.

"Not what you expected, huh?" said Yoko, smiling triumphantly. "I don't kill him because I think that Beastmen and humans can live together peacefully, and I don't think killing Ribo will help."

"You really think they can live together?"

"Yup," said Yoko. "And so long as I think Ribo can help make it happen, I'll keep him alive."

"You're awfully optimistic," remarked Mito. "How would you make this happen?"

"Simple. Put humans and Beastmen together, in a situation where neither has anything to gain killing the other - they never do, really - put them all on equal footing, and make it so it's advantageous to work together. It's always been in their best interests, really."

"You have some interesting thoughts," said Mito, standing. "I think I may ponder them a while longer."

"Don't take too long," said Yoko. "I'm banking on you forgetting so you can't take this back to Ribo."

"Don't worry, Miss Yoko," said Mito, saluting. "I won't betray your privacy. It's a quirk of mine. Unless ordered by his Majesty, I never disclose secrets."

Then Mito, too, left Yoko to her own devices. Yoko went back to sharpening the spoon in her hand, humming as she went.

* * *

"So, repeatedly throwing my boomerang didn't work," panted Simon. _Gurren Lagann_ stood in a fighting stance in the centre of a swarm of drones, shade-sword in hand and drill in the other. "The mini-drill storm didn't work either. They're just too fast. "

"Do you persist in stating the obvious?" said Rossiu with a hint of panic in his voice. He looked to the left and right as the drones circled them, faster and faster. "Could you just tell me whether or not you have any good ideas?"

"I can't vouch for their quality, but I have ideas."

"Like what?"

"What's a reverse drill, Rossiu?"

Rossiu thought for a second. Then, "You're not serious."

"Oh yes I am! Let's see if I can pull this off!"

The drill on the _Gurren Lagann_'s left arm glowed green and changed. It morphed in shape, the flanges growing larger and wider, until Simon had...

"A fan," said Rossiu disappointedly.

"Damn right! SUCK IT, DRONE BOTS!"

The fan started up with a clunk and a whirr. It sped up, faster and faster and faster. As it did, Simon began slowly aiming the boosters in the opposite direction to counteract the suction force.

"It...it's working?" exclaimed Rossiu in surprise. "You've actually managed to create a miniature whirlwind!"

And indeed it had, as the wind began forming into a conical shape. Drones began to list, pulled forwards into Simon's cyclone.

"Let's see how fast it can go!" said Simon, face set in a wide grin. "Full power!"

The Spiral Gauge climbed green until it was completely filled, then continued filling again in white as Simon's spirit rose. The fan crackled with green energy before jumping to incredibly high speeds, becoming a blur of metal. The cyclone intensified, growing larger and more powerful. _Gurren Lagann_'s boosters strained as it tried to keep from being flung by the force of its own weapon. Drones were unable to fight the wind, ending up sucked in and through Simon's weapon, reduced to pieces of scrap metal and exploding. Simon grunted and, with effort, slowly turned in a large circle. When he had completed one rotation, he stopped. The fan powered down, and transformed into a drill, then disappeared.

There was not a single drone left in the sky.

Rossiu sat back in amazement. Simon did likewise in Lagann's cockpit, exhausted from his work.

"...You did it," said Rossiu. "You did the impossible."

"Have you missed something?" joked Simon. "I've been doing that for a while now."

"Yes. Well. Now, all that's left is to clean up on the ground, and maybe we'll even be able to-"

And that's when the rumbling started.

* * *

"Sir, the red Ganman...it just wiped out all the drones."

"Oh?"

"He created a personal cyclone and used it to suck up all the drones."

"That's so like him."

"I believe now would be prudent to enact our plan."

"You believe? I _know._ Send out the appropriate orders, Phives."

"Sir, I was also instructed by His Highness to do one other thing."

"What did he tell you to do?"

_Click_

_Whirrrr_

_Crunch Thunk Snap_

"Now this is oddly familiar."

"A present from Ribo, to allow you to take care of _Gurren Lagann_."

"It's a very _nice_ present."

"Perhaps a little bit of karma, as well?"

"So you _are_ capable of humour."

"Was that acceptable, sir?"

"Phives, right now everything's acceptable. Let's go show off our new toy!"

* * *

The ground shuddered in a series of huge quakes. In Dai-Gurren the command team tried desperately to keep things together as the shockwaves threatened to throw them around like bouncy balls.

"I'm registering some strange seismic activity!" screamed Tetsukan as he was flung sideways.

"No kidding!" yelled Leeron back. "Tetsukan, claw your way back to your seat and enact my backup plan!"

"It's not tested yet!" protested Tetsukan. "Hell, you yourself said it probably wasn't safe!"

"Do you think we have a choice?" yelled Leeron. "It's all or nothing here! If you won't do it, I'll do it myself!"

Leeron crawled his way along the floor as it heaved like the ocean in a storm. He reached Tetsukan's console, heaved his way up into the seat, and held on for dear life as he desperately typed in commands.

"Leeron! Explain please!" yelled Dayakka as he clung to his control panel.

"I'm enacting some emergency protocols I installed involving some modifications I made when I rebuilt this thing!"

"What modifications?"

"You know what, Dayakka?" snapped Leeron, "Just shut up and let me work!"

"Leeron," said Dayakka, barely loud enough to be heard above the quaking, "what's wrong? What's going on?"

"Don't you get it?" yelled Leeron. "_They're right under us!_"

As if on cue, the earth split underneath the Dai-Gurren with a creaking, shrieking groan. The crack widened like a great maw into the Earth's womb. It was pitch dark at its centre, a darkness that caught the eye and ensnared the vision, eating at the light until it became black as tar. And from within it came a sound.

It was the sound of a drill.

"Switch the screen feed!" ordered Dayakka. "Change to the underside cameras!"

Leeron obliged, and the screen changed. The bridge crew all looked into the great gaping chasm, and slowly their eyes grew wide as they perceived what was at its centre.

The _Zessho-Enki's_ four drills spun in tandem, creating a vortex of earth as it pulverized the ground around it. It was similar to the original _Enkidudu_ except for its color scheme, which was now brown with blue highlights. Its four swords were now four drill tendrils, similar to the destroyed _Lazengann_. The face of the silver Ganman hand grown an extra set of eyes above its normal ones. And on top of the _Enkidudu_ was a blue and brown head with plates over the mouth and eyes glowing green with spiral power. They heard a deranged triumphant cackle from the combined mecha, which made the _Dai-Gurren_ crew speechless in horror. It held its four drills aimed right at the underbelly of the warship.

"I'M BACK, HUMANS!" yelled Viral maniacally. "HOPE YOU DIDN'T MISS ME!"

"We're going to get sucked in!" yelled Dayakka in panic. "And pulverized by those drills!"

"Not if I can help it!" cried Leeron. And he pressed the last keystroke to put his plan into action.

* * *

Simon saw when the earth opened up under _Dai-Gurren_. He saw as it began sinking into the ground, soon to be swallowed whole into the earth's crust. He heard Viral's battle cry, and froze in terror of his rival, back from the dead. He raced down to try and rescue _Dai-Gurren_, but he would be too late, he was too high up and he hadn't noticed fast enough...

To his surprise, the _Dai-Gurren_ began rising again. It rose out of the ground slowly but surely, quickly gaining speed as it ascended higher and higher. It no longer had legs; where those had been were the green trails of flight spheres. Soon _Dai-Gurren_ had reached Simon's level, and it floated above the husk of Kamina City.

"Leeron!" gasped Simon in relief. "You must've done this!"

"But how?" asked Rossiu. "You told me it was impossible to replicate the _Dai-Gurren_'s original flight sphere!"

"I'm a magical technical wizard, okay?" replied Leeron. "Let's just go with that."

"Hey, nice modifications!" hailed Kittan over the open channel. "Just wanted you to know, the twins just bagged you your captive!"

"Great!" cheered Rossiu. "All right people, let's move out!"

"You heard the man!" announced Simon. "Dai-Gurren Brigade! Advance into the golden sunset!"

"You know, it doesn't even sound like we're retreating when you say it like that," joked Dayakka. The Brigadeers joined in on the laughter.

The Brigadeers boosted up out of the city to join their mothership. Then_ Dai-Gurren_'s flight spheres roared, and the Brigade retreated to fight another day.

Down below, Viral watched as they flew away.

"We don't have flight spheres on this thing, do we?" he asked his aide.

"Sorry, sir. None of our units do, either. We were counting on Kuroko's drones."

"Well, damn," Viral growled. "That's a serious design flaw."

"The Zessho-Enki was designed to rule the land. If we wanted the skies, we would've brought Enzai along."

"True. I've got standing orders to stay in Teppelin if the runts bolted anyway. Oh well. At least I got a taste of what Simon uses every day. And I've gotta admit, it feels damn good."

"I'm happy to be of service, my Lord."

"Are you serious or sarcastic, Phives?"

"A little bit of both, I think."

Viral smirked.

_I think I'm gonna like this guy…_

**There's chapter 7. Courtesy of 1 over 0 with some adding done by me, and editing by both of us and by Juubi-K.(you all should check out their fics)**

**Also, the Flashback arc of Words Without a Voice will soon commence! They will be short, but faster in terms of updates so stay tuned!**


	8. A Seed of Affection

**Gurren Lagann and its characters belong to Gainax. Ribo and his entourage (save Viral) are attributed to the authors.**

Mito entered the throne room quietly, so as not to disturb his lord. Ribo sat on his throne with his head resting upon a fist, a position that he had adopted from his father. Several holographic windows floated in the air around the throne, displaying statistics or maps. The largest one in the centre was a live feed from the newly reclaimed Teppelin, displaying Viral's triumphant face.

"...ran away in the end, but the city is secure," finished the Regent. "Your little present was very well received, by the way."

"I'm glad that things worked out," said Ribo. "You are to stand by in Teppelin until I arrive. We'll be bringing Dai-Guntei down from orbit; you'll notice when I do."

"As you command," obeyed Viral with a slight bow. The screen winked out, and the other windows grouped together to fill the space where it had previously been.

"...Mito," said Ribo softly. "What brings you here?"

"Business, my lord," replied Mito with a bow. "I see the battle for Teppelin went well?"

"Of course. No doubt you heard we'll be relocating there. I'd like to search Dekabutsu for items of interest, as well as salvage its hull for some projects I've had on hold."

"How good, my lord. I am gladdened by the progress we are making."

"But you didn't come to ask me about Viral's battle," commented the boy king.

"Ever perceptive as usual," complimented Mito dryly. "I came to make a request of you."

Ribo's eyes perked up. Usually it was either Enzai or Clora who did the requests. For the first time in memory, his most obedient and trustworthy knight has asked for a favor. Whatever it is, it must have been important.

"Well, speak your mind," ordered Ribo. "I can't very well judge it if I don't know what it is."

"Yes, my lord." The brown haired knight another bow. "I'd like to request that you give me control of one of the underground villages."

"One of the human holes?" queried Ribo, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want one of those pathetic pits?"

"I apologize for being unclear," said Mito. "My lord, I wish to found a community, maybe a possible beginning of a subservient colony with a mixed population of humans and Beastmen."

Ribo pondered this awhile. Eventually he spoke, not as a command, but as a question.

"Why?"

"My lord," began Mito, "it's a simple matter of economizing our strength. If we could take the human towns and use them for labor instead of killing them outright, our empire would grow faster than ever before. Integrating the Beastmen and humans into one community gives both parties a sense of freedom and, when given an example, many humans would flock to our side hoping for an end to bloodshed instead of supporting Simon and his war. Who knows? If we support them enough, they'll support _us_ instead of the Brigade."

The boy king nodded, taking all this in.

"And you want to test this idea out first?"

"Yes, your highness."

Ribo thought on what Mito had said. There were some very obvious benefits to the idea, and it would hardly cost him anything.

Victory through peace; it was an interesting idea. Ribo didn't really care, so long as he was able to reclaim his father's position.

"I will grant your request," said Ribo finally.

"I thank you, my lord."

Ribo opened up a new window, housing a list of names, locations, and other statistics. He scrolled down the list and picked a name out from the group.

"I will grant you this village, Adai. My father's records indicate that the location was poor for sustaining life, and conditions are almost certainly miserable there. You may take one hundred Beastman troopers, a squad of Nucleotides, and what supplies you deem fit. Assuming there is anyone left, you may found your town there."

Mito bowed and turned to exit.

"Oh, by the way Mito..."

Mito turned again to face his lord.

"What do you plan on calling your mixed community? Enlighten me."

"I do not have a fixed name for it my Lord, but for now, the community, or rather the string of communities that will follow and be connected underground, will be known as the Underland," responded the androgynous knight.

* * *

All was quiet on the Dai-Gurren. After three days of nervous vigil, the crew finally relaxed, relieved that the enemy wasn't giving chase. The pilots were finally allowed to take a long-deserved break, while the gunners were able to visit family and friends among the refugees. The warship's passengers basked in the temporary calm they had stumbled upon, and groups of children roamed about the ship. It was almost as if the Dai-Gurren's gentle rocking was putting to sleep the general air of anxiety and paranoia.

Of course, not all were content. Though they went to great pains to conceal it, most of the passengers still vividly remembered Ribo's pre-emptive strike on Kamina City. Every so often a young girl would unexpectedly burst into tears, or a mother's face would suddenly go blank as she realized that she was trying to do laundry for her long-dead children. The ship's bar was never lacking in customers, and there had already been at least one attempted suicide. Still, most of the passengers bore things with grace, wisely saving their grieving for a more peaceful time.

Simon reflected on all this as he sat in the mess, watching as men, women and children filed in and out. He was truly grateful for the cooperation the people had given him when they had more than enough reason to simply sit around in grief or, worse, turn their rage on the Brigade. It may have even been Ribo's fault, really; much like Lordgenome's cruel oppression had turned all of humanity against him, Ribo had managed to put a big red target on his head that humanity was more than willing to team up to hit.

A cafeteria tray thunked on-to the table in front of him. Simon was jolted out of his pensive meditation, and he raised his eyes to identify his companion.

"Hello, hello!" greeted Kiyal Bachika with an energetic smile. "How ya been, Simon?" She took the seat opposite Simon and set in to her tray of food.

"Kiyal? What are you doing here?" asked Simon in surprise.

"Eating, duh!" replied the youngest Bachika sarcastically around a mouthful of mushrooms. "Unlike you pilots, we noncombatants tend to have our meals at regular times. For example, right now, it's dinnertime."

"Ah, sorry," apologized Simon. "I forgot. You're not a pilot anymore since Kiyalunga got scrapped to rebuild Dai-Gurren. Sorry about your Ganman."

"You dope," sighed the youngest Bachika. "You seem to think you're responsible for everything around here. If it's anyone's fault it's mine for piloting such a useless Ganman."

"It wasn't useless!" protested Simon. "You were there during the battle for Teppelin."

"Yeah, as the King Kittan's weapon," retorted Kiyal.

Simon tried in vain to find a way to justify this. He eventually failed, and bowed his head in defeat.

_'Damn! I wasn't trying to make him feel bad!'_ thought Kiyal in alarm.

"Ah, it's okay Simon," she said quickly. "Look at me, trying so hard to put myself down. Sorry."

"Well you're very good at it," smiled Simon. "Let's talk about something else, then."

_'Yes!'_ thought Kiyal in elation.

"Um...so what's up?" asked Kiyal. Mentally she berated herself for failing to come up with anything better.

"Not much," replied Simon. "We're on constant alert in case Ribo attacks again, but other than that I don't have much to do."

"Aren't you the Supreme Commander?" asked Kiyal. "Doesn't that mean you have to look after...well, everything?"

"Technically I guess," said Simon with a chuckle. "I kinda leave all that to Rossiu. He complains about it sometimes, but now he's got Kinon to help him out."

"Kinon," said Kiyal quietly. "I guess she found her place."

"Yup!" agreed Simon. "They really work well together."

"How lucky for them," murmured the purple haired Bachika, poking at her food with her fork.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Simon blithely.

"Oh! It's nothing!" replied Kiyal quickly, smiling and waving her hands to emphasize. "I just wish I had something I could do like Kinon does."

"Well, what are you doing now?" asked Simon.

"Odd jobs, here and there. Whatever's open. Nothing consistent."

"Well, maybe I could find you something," said Simon encouragingly. "What do you like to do?"

"Ummm..." thought Kiyal nervously. "I...well I..."

A bubble of awkward silence descended on the table, despite the constant murmur of other conversations. Kiyal's face got progressively redder as she struggled to figure out what her interests really were, other than goofing off and...well, and Simon.

Thankfully, a third person came to relieve Kiyal of her plight. Nia ran up, waving energetically. Kiyal snapped out of her thoughts at Nia's greeting, instantly peeved that the princess had stolen the spotlight yet again. Her annoyingly colorful hair bounced around as usual, framing her perfect little face perfectly. Kiyal's jealous feelings only doubled when she saw that Simon had already diverted his attention to Nia. The worst part, though, was Simon's smile; that genuinely happy smile, the one that warmed Kiyal's heart even as it darkened. The smile Kiyal wanted to cause herself.

"Simon! Rossiu wants to see you!" said Nia cheerfully. Her almost idiotic happiness annoyed Kiyal, even though she knew that Nia genuinely meant it all. Kiyal couldn't help but admit that Nia's joy warmed everyone, including herself. That, too, ticked her off, though she was careful not to show any of it. Kiyal either wanted to squeeze the girl or was sickened by the sweetness. The only reason Nia danced back and forth on that line was because of Simon, Kiyal knew; and yet she couldn't help but feel the way she did.

"Thanks for the message, Nia," replied Simon. The digger got up to follow the green-haired girl.

"Oh, wait." Simon stopped and turned around to face Kiyal. "We haven't figured out what you're going to do yet, have we?"

"I'll live," replied the younger Bachika with a little smile. "Rossiu's probably got something important. More important than my silly little complaints."

"Simon," interrupted Nia. "Am I correct in assuming that Kiyal's problem lies in her lack of a job?"

"Yeah, that's right," replied Simon. "We haven't really come up with anything, though."

"Well, Rossiu said he can't really pilot any more," beamed Nia. "So, why don't you have Kiyal pilot Gurren?"

"Actually...that's a good idea," said Simon. He turned to Kiyal. "Are you okay with that?"

Kiyal's head bobbed down and back up.

"Good. Then meet me in the Ganman hangars in...let's say two hours. Okay?"

Simon walked away with the eternally happy Nia, waving back at his new co-pilot. Kiyal's hand waved as well, almost absently.

It took several minutes for things to sink in for Kiyal. When they finally did, a bright smile slowly grew on her face. When she realized that her rival had effectively given her this opportunity, her smile widened until it seemed it would grow too large for her face. She looked down again at her food, now cold. Still with that same smile, she picked up her spoon and plunged it into the raccoonsquirrel stew. She had to keep her energy up if she wanted to pilot after all.

* * *

The Dai-Gurren Brigade higher ups was gathered in the Dai-Gurren's control room, mostly because Jorgun and Balinbou weren't as cramped there as they were in the briefing room's chairs. The change of location was readily welcomed, and the control room's large windows let in plenty of natural sunlight.

Simon entered, followed by Nia, who was beaming as usual. All the other members were there, so Rossiu got straight down to business.

"We've located a Beastman fortress," he stated crisply.

"It's about time," said Zorthy sarcastically. "It can't have been that hard to crack the Ganman's computers. Are you losing your touch, Leeron?"

"Pah!" exclaimed Leeron. "The Ganman's systems were pathetically easy to open. I must have broken the encryption within the first couple of hours. Whoever designed the software didn't try too hard."

* * *

Halfway across the world, Kuroko's ears perked up, and she found herself snarling unconsciously. She wondered briefly what that was all about, and quickly resumed her work.

* * *

"However," continued Leeron, "Rossiu wanted me to wait until he questioned the pilot."

"You questioned the pilot without my permission?' inquired Simon with a frown. "Rossiu, what's all this about?"

"I simply thought it wasn't worth bothering you about," replied Rossiu with a wave of his hand. "You didn't come and ask me about it, so I assumed you were too tired to be troubled with such things."

Simon thought about this. He realized that, indeed, he hadn't thought about the battle at all for the last three days. He nodded, giving Rossiu permission to continue. The boy nodded back, acknowledging his superior's command.

"The Beastman's report corroborated with the data Leeron retrieved," continued Rossiu. "Therefore, I think we can safely say that we have our next target. I had my assistant, Kinon, put together a presentation in order to explain things. She'll be continuing for me."

Rossiu motioned his hand towards the bespectacled brunette standing in the corner. She had been so still and silent that no one had noticed her, but now the entire Brigade focused their attention on her. Her face reddened, but her eyes set and she marched to the centre of the room. She pressed a device in her hand, and the giant screens lit up to display an overhead map. She cleared her throat, and adjusted her glasses before beginning.

"Um...This is a map of our surrounding location," started Kinon in a clear, firm voice. Kittan was stunned; his second sister had always been the quiet one. Kinon went on, looking each Brigadier in the eye.

"As you have probably deduced, our current location is here." She pointed to a blinking image of a shade-sporting flaming skull that hovered over the ocean.

"According to the data Leeron found, the fortress is located here." The map zoomed out, until the coastline could be seen. It continued on until another ocean appeared on the other side of the land. A blinking blue dot manifested on the water.

"That is the enemy fortress," said Kinon as she pointed. "We've never explored that way, so the accuracy of this map cannot be guaranteed. What you're currently looking at is a mix of the map data found in the Ganman and our own records. Based on the base's location, we can deduce that the fortress is either a marine-type Dai-Gan class vessel or an island fortress."

"The prisoner's testimony stated that the fortress is on an island," added Rossiu," and the marker hasn't moved in the last forty-eight hours. Therefore, it's safe to assume that it's a conventional fortress built on land."

"That should make things easier," commented Kidd. "We won't be fighting an enemy that's capable of moving around and pursuing us if we retreat."

"But it will certainly be well-defended," countered Makken. "While fighting the Generals was like fighting wild animals, this will be like attacking a rock. Only this rock will be armed to the teeth."

"Makken mirrors my own thoughts," said Rossiu. "And they'll definitely have fleets of Ganmen, so retreat won't necessarily be that easy."

"Who cares?" interjected Iraak. "I mean, we have Simon on our side. We've cracked tougher nuts before."

There was a murmur of agreement. Simon silenced it with a wave of his hand.

"Please, guys," said the digger. "First we have to deal with the people we're carrying."

"That was my next point," interrupted Kinon. "Take a look at the screen."

Another dot blinked on the screen, this one green. It sat almost equidistant from the skull and the blue dot, though not directly between.

"This is Ritona village," said Kinon. "As you can see, stopping at Ritona would not take us too far off our course." A red line stretched between the skull and the green dot, and another stretched from the green dot to the blue dot. "Therefore, I propose we head towards Ritona, pick up supplies and drop off the refugees, and head towards the enemy fortress from there."

"Sounds good to me," said Simon. "But let's ask everyone else about your plan. All those in favour of Kinon's plan, raise your hands."

Everyone's hands went up. Kinon blushed at the praise she was being given.

"Um, really, it's mostly Rossiu's plan," she stammered.

"Not true," smiled Rossiu. "I never came up with a single idea. The only things I said were words of encouragement."

"Well, we'd better be off," said Simon, smiling as well. "With your permission, Captain Dayakka, we'll be changing course towards Ritona."

"Sure thing, Simon!" said Dayakka. "Change course to Ritona!"

"Aye aye, sir!" shouted Gabal as he turned the wheel.

The Dai-Gurren slowly changed directions to aim for Ritona Village. On the bridge there was a profound sense of content; after constantly being on the defensive or on the run, they were all glad to finally be able to strike back at the enemy.

* * *

Yoko was in the firing range, practicing her shooting skills. At the moment she was testing a pistol that she had seen being carried by Ribo's guards. She didn't hear Ribo entering, but somehow she knew. It was like a tingling feeling at the back of her neck, a sudden shift in the air. She fired one last shot straight into the target's centre and turned to greet her captor.

"Darn. Out of bullets," she said sarcastically.

"Would you shoot me?" asked Ribo. "Could you really do it?" He regarded her attire; she wasn't exactly the most delicate lady, but at least she was wearing a shirt and pants instead of her usual ensemble.

"I would, if I thought it would work," answered Yoko. "As is, I'm pretty sure you'd dodge it or something."

"Your praise honours me," said Ribo mockingly. "I see you're having fun being allowed to roam the ship. I should have expected you'd find your way here first."

"Yeah, well, Dai-Gurren had one, so I figured this ship would have one too," said Yoko as she put away the handgun. "So what are you here for? Or are we just going to have some 'casual conversation' again? And is the topic still 'how to have babies'?"

"Oh, ha ha," said Ribo dryly. "Actually, I've come to talk about your education."

"Education?" asked Yoko. "What about it? I can read pretty well and I used to help Leeron calculate supplies and such, but other than that I really couldn't care less."

"Precisely," said Ribo, wincing. "Although technically your education really doesn't matter, I can't really think of marrying someone so...unsophisticated."

"Oh, yes," said Yoko, pulling a rather large rifle from the weapons rack. "We still have to address the issue of whether or not that's going to happen."

"That needn't be discussed right now," said Ribo hastily, stepping back slightly. "I only ask that you go through the lessons, and perhaps later we can reach a decision."

Yoko thought for a second, and then she shrugged.

"Eh, what the hell," she said, throwing the rifle to Ribo. Ribo caught it heavily. "I don't really have anything better to do."

"Good. You'll find a schedule on your night table tomorrow morning."

"Do I have to wear a dress?" asked Yoko with a tinge of dread. Ribo smiled.

"Only for some classes," he answered with that same smile. "I'll be sure to mark which ones."

"Fine," she said, walking out. "Might as well start now."

"Where are you going?" asked Ribo.

"Going to go take a look at those dresses," called back Yoko. "Make sure I don't pick the ones that make me suffocate while wearing them."

* * *

The Dai-Gurren landed gently on the plains around Ritona. A while back, a small army of men would have emerged to defend their home against this strange new Ganman; now, only a few troops wearing the Brigade's colours stepped out, squinting against the harsh sunlight. Ritona had been the first village to have its population relocated to Kamina City, leaving only a few behind and making the village into more of an outpost than anything.

Several walkways descended from the Dai-Gurren's sides, and hundreds of passengers flowed out. First to touch ground was Simon and the Brigade, and they led the crowd towards Ritona. They stopped to greet the defenders, leaving Makken to explain everything as the rest headed inside.

"We should hold another meeting," said Rossiu to Simon as they entered the defensive gorge. The sides showed the scars of numerous explosive ambushes launched against enemy Ganmen, and Simon fondly remembered his first real battle, the battle where they had captured Gurren.

"I think everyone's a little tired," replied Simon. "Let 'em rest. We've been having too many meetings lately anyhow."

"But we need to decide things!" protested Rossiu. "What will we do with the people? How will we defend against future attacks? What about the danger of Viral's Gunman digging underneath the village?"

"You're so wound up," said Kidd from behind. "Just chill for a while. We'll rest here and move on later."

"Chill out? We're at _war!_" snapped Rossiu. "We can't afford to relax when Ribo may attack at any second! And we can't leave the civilians defenseless; Ribo has already proven that he has no qualms killing them by the masses if it's to his advantage!"

"I thought you planned everything out on the way here," said Simon.

"Well, yes," admitted Rossiu, "But we need to discuss these things as a group! We have to work as a team!"

Simon stopped and turned to his second in command. The rest of the Brigade stopped in respect for their leader, while the civilians flowed around them.

"Let me be honest with you," said Simon. "The rest of us, we're not cut out for this sort of thing. We're good at fighting, and that's about it."

"Yes...but..."

"No buts. Rossiu, you're really the only one of us suited for planning and things. All this time we've basically been following your plans. You're indispensable as our guide."

"Well, I guess so..." stammered Rossiu, red in the face.

"But now, we're heading straight into enemy territory with no concept of what might lie ahead," continued Simon. "This is what we do best. And we'll let you do what you do best, by leaving you in charge while we're gone."

"Simon...I can't..." muttered Rossiu.

"Can't?" laughed Simon. "What kind of Dai-Gurren spirit is that?"

"All I've ever wanted to do was to be part of the team," said Rossiu plaintively. "I've never been as good a pilot as the rest of you, and it's bugged me. I spent many hours after Teppelin practicing, trying to get better...and now...you're going to leave me behind?"

"So that's why you were so good," mused Simon. "But, Rossiu, we're not leaving you behind."

"How can you say that?" complained the Adai. "That's exactly what you're doing. You're leaving me to baby-sit these people while you all go off and do whatever the hell you like!"

"We're not leaving you, the same way Kamina never left us," said Simon, placing a fist over his heart. "Once a Brigadier, always a Brigadier. We'll all be fighting, and we'll be fighting together, wherever we are. And it's not like we'll be leaving you defenseless. All the minitypes will be left here along with their crews. We'll only be taking as much as we need."

"I still can't help but worry. You're all going off alone, into possibly impossible odds...don't you ever consider that you might not make it back alive?"

"Every day," replied Simon seriously. "Every time I get into Lagann, I wonder whether I'll ever see my loved ones again. But it's because I love them that I fight, and so I risk my life whether they want me to or not."

Rossiu laughed, startling Simon.

"Can't argue with logic like that," he concluded, wiping a tear from his eye. "Not that logic ever had much to do with us, anyway."

"Hey, it's what we do," smiled Simon. "And besides, I've got the best co-pilot I can have!"

He reached behind to where Kiyal was listening and dragged her forward. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't go letting Yoko hear that," she reminded Simon. "I think she'd object just a little."

Simon put an arm around Kiyal, causing her face to redden even further.

"I'm serious," he said. "I'm glad to have you as Gurren's pilot. And Yoko's not even here, so it doesn't matter what we say."

Simon's face suddenly fell as he remembered his comrade's capture. Kiyal berated herself for bringing Yoko up, and immediately she tried to save the situation.

"Ah, well, thanks Simon," she said. "Now I dunno about you, but I'm starved! Let's go eat up and rest up for tomorrow!"

"I was about to say the same thing," agreed Simon with a smile. Kiyal's heart jumped as she realized that, yes, _she _had caused that smile.

"Rossiu," commanded Simon. "I'd like you to organize one last thing for us before we leave. I'd like you to prepare a huge feast to celebrate!"

"Celebrate what?" asked Rossiu.

"Who cares!" interrupted Kittan, whose ears had perked at the sound of 'party'. "We're alive and we have booze! Let's get this party started!"

Rossiu sighed, but it was a happy sigh. Sure, it was difficult being the Brigade's organizational backbone, but it was really impossible to stay around these people without contracting their constant ebullience. He lifted his head and began preparing for the festivities.

* * *

The morning came quietly. Most people were still sleeping off the effects of the wild party that had gone late into the night. Most of the Brigade, on the other hand, had foregone much of the festivities, even though many complained bitterly. Even Kittan had withheld himself, and he stood with the rest as they watched supplies loaded on the Dai-Gurren.

"Just about done," said Rossiu. "Dai-Gurren is almost fully re-supplied, the crew is all here, those who volunteered to join you have already boarded, and the engine has been tuned to the point of perfection. I can safely say that you're ready to go."

"Good," said Simon quietly. "How about the Ganmen?"

"All of your Ganmen received repairs and fine tuning," replied Rossiu. "Both Leite and Leeron will be accompanying you, though, so I don't think you have much to worry about."

"So we're ready," said Simon. "We're ready, and yet I can't help but feel a strange sensation. I can't help but think we shouldn't go."

"Cold feet at the last minute?" jibed Iraak with a smile. "C'mon, glorious leader, let's christen this voyage and go get 'em."

"Agreed," said Kittan. He pulled a bottle of something, likely alcoholic, from nowhere. "Let's drink to our success."

"For Yoko," said Dayakka, pulling out several mugs. "And the human race in general."

Mugs were filled and passed around. One for every Brigadier...except one.

"Nia?" said Simon in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Why I'm going, of course," said Nia. "I want to be with all of you."

"But...it'll be dangerous," protested Simon. Nia frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't say that!" she scolded. "You're bringing Kiyal and Kiyoh along all right, and Yoko has been fighting against Gunmen for years! You can't exclude me because I'm a girl!"

"Ah..well...Yoko's different," stammered Simon, trying to find a reason to leave Nia behind. "And...well..."

"Give it up," chuckled Kidd. "Nia ain't going anywhere. She stubborner than you are."

"And just as brave, unless I miss my guess," added Makken. "Remember that time with Adiane?"

Simon smiled in defeat.

"You're right," he finally said. "I have no right to keep you here. Dayakka, you got another mug for Nia?"

"Sorry, Simon, only brought enough for the rest."

"Then you can share mine," said Simon. He offered his mug to Nia, who took a sip and coughed at the burning sensation. There was a round of laughter before the rest of the Brigade took a sip from theirs. Kiyal glared over the lip of her mug.

"So I guess this is goodbye," said Simon, tapping his own mug against Rossiu's. "I'll see you when we've won."

"Goodbye," answered Rossiu in kind. "And you'd better win, otherwise I'll be taking care of all these people for nothing."

"You know we will," said Simon. "That's the Dai-Gurren way."

The Brigade quietly downed their drinks, and as one they climbed aboard their vessel. With a satisfying roar the Dai-Gurren's engines fired up, the twin flight spheres igniting in a blaze of green. Rossiu watched it rise as the wind whipped his ponytail around. Then the Dai-Gurren was gone, off into the sunrise.

Rossiu looked into his mug. Still full. He turned it and let the alcohol fall into the sand. When it had emptied, he turned and returned to the village. In an hour or two, the people would be waking; and he had to be there to lead them.

* * *

**Hope yall enjoyed this chap, little shipping going on.**

**Next one will have some action though.**

**Written by 1 over 0 and edited by Zaru, Juubi-K, and 1 over 0.**


	9. The Ballroom Blitz Part 1

Fire.

Everywhere. Hissing, crackling. Roaring. Consuming.

Burning. Everywhere it burned. Like the hottest summer day, only a hundred times worse.

The flames threw shadows everywhere. They danced and twisted on the walls, on the street, everywhere. They were frightening.

Not as frightening as the grunts and growls. She could hear them, stalking the streets. They were coming. They were searching.

She ran.

Next to her a house collapsed from the fire. She screamed and stumbled, scraping her knee against the ground.

The fire roared, and a blast of heat hit her in her face.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, carving trails through the dirt and grime and soot. She knelt there, cradling her bloody knee, each second expecting to hear them coming down the street, claws out, fangs bared.

There was a hand on her arm. It pulled, pulled her up, pulled her out of the way of a flying chunk of burning wood. She looked up, and through her tears she could make out a familiar face.

The fire leapt higher.

* * *

Kiyoh woke, sweating. Her sheets were twisted about her, and one of her legs was hanging over the edge of the bunk.

She sat up, and hit her head on the bunk above her. Kiyal snorted in her sleep, then resumed the steady, deep breathing of someone who had been going nonstop for several days.

Kiyoh lay back down again. She tried closing her eyes, but the images kept playing out on her eyelids. Sleep was not forthcoming.

She sat up again, careful this time not to hit her head. She rolled over to the ladder and clambered onto it, climbing down past a slumbering Kinon. She threw on a top and pants and, as an afterthought, pulled down her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. _Dai-Gurren's _interior could get cold at night.

She pressed the controls next to the door, and it opened with a quiet hiss. It closed with that same hiss as she exited, nearly clipping the corner of her blanket.

The halls were empty, lit only by running lights along the floor and walls. The silence was absolute. Still, it was not an eerie silence, but rather the silence of many people resting after a long day's work. It was comforting.

Kiyoh walked along the hall, naming the occupants of each room she passed. Yoko, Leite Leeron, Kittan, Iraak, Kidd, Jougan and Balinbou, Zorthy, Makken, Attenborough, Tetsukan, Dayakka, Gabal, Simon. People she could trust with her life. Her feet began to feel cold. She regretted not having thrown on some socks when she left.

She took a right hand turn at an intersection, out of the sleeping quarters, and found herself walking along a row of glass windows. She stopped and looked out at the night sky. It was beautiful. The stars were like tiny jewels strewn along the velvet black cloak of night. The ocean was a dark mass of waves below them.

She decided to go up to the bridge. The view there would be even better.

Soon she was in the main elevator, riding up to the bridge. The numbers on the monitor clicked as she passed several floors. Eventually it got to its destination, and an electric chime sounded. The doors swooshed open.

Dayakka turned around from where he had been sitting.

"Oh, hi. Kiyoh."

Kiyoh pulled the blanket tighter around herself as she stepped out of the elevator. As she had thought, the view from the bridge was absolutely stunning. She stood transfixed by it for a moment before answering Dayakka.

"Hey, Dayakka. It's your turn to monitor the systems?"

"Yeah, I just relieved Leeron."

He yawned.

"Sorry, I'm still half asleep," he apologized.

"That's okay. I just woke up, too."

They stood there for a moment. Then Dayakka seemed to realize something. He stood and pulled out another chair. Kiyoh sat in it.

"So, why are you up?" asked Dayakka.

Kiyoh didn't respond at first. The memories were still flashing before her eyes.

"Um, Kiyoh?"

"Oh, just a bad dream," replied Kiyoh dismissively.

"I see," nodded Dayakka. "It's not like we have a lack of things to be afraid of." Kiyoh remained silent, huddled in her blanket.

"But you know," continued Dayakka, "all the same, come tomorrow, the Beastman fortress is going to come over that horizon, and we're going to attack it even though it might cost us our lives. And you know why?"

"Why?" asked Kiyoh, already knowing what he'd say.

"Because we're the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and we'll fight until every human can sleep peacefully."

"But can we fight forever...?" murmured Kiyoh. Dayakka turned towards her.

"I mean…" she continued. "This different from when we were up against Lordgenome and the Generals. These guys are smarter, stronger, more efficient. I think…" She started stuttering. "I think we won't be able to win…"

"Hey, have faith." The buxom Bachika turned towards the muscular man.

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and we came pretty close to biting it back in Kamina City. But we're still here. Whether or not we die, we showed those Beastmen that we can be every bit as strong and tenacious as they are. And even if we do die, we'll leave a hole for others to follow through. And besides..." He grinned. "Who the hell do you think we are, to die this early?"

For some reason this was strangely reassuring to Kiyoh, and a small smile slowly grew on her face. She leaned her head over to rest on Dayakka's shoulder, surprising him. They sat there for a while, as in the east the sun prepared itself for the slow climb over the horizon.

* * *

It was very hard not to notice the _Dai-Gantei_ when it came down from orbit. A mobile base larger than most conventional cities tends to have that kind of effect.

It moved slowly, however. It began as a kind of dot in the morning sky, often obscured by clouds, sometimes gleaming. If you were fortunate, as Viral was, you'd get a report of a foreign object registering on the sensors. If you were less fortunate, however, you wouldn't begin to notice it properly until around midday, when it had grown to be larger than the sun's disc. If there had been people in the ruined streets, they would have stopped to point in awe as it cast its shadow over everything. As things were, the only beings present were Viral's Beastman troopers, and they soon got word of the object's nature, satisfying their curiosity and letting them get on with their normal routines.

The day continued. _Dai-Gantei's_ profile grew and becoming more distinct. In the gray twilight, it was just possible to distinguish its face, and once night fell, it partially concealed the moon.

Day arrived, and _Dai-Gantei_ touched down on the Earth's surface just outside of the Teppelin ruins, on the east side. Although, to be fair, it didn't truly touch the ground. It floated a good ways above, about the height of one of the fallen Teppelin skyscrapers.

Viral watched as it came to a halt, hovering menacingly, casting its massive shadow over the ruins, creating a dark spot on the wastes where they should have been glowing in the morning sun. The _Zessho-Enki_ stood a little straighter, and Viral searched the _Dai-Gantei's _shadowy figure for some sort of sign, a signal, a darker blur against the shadows.

He looked to his left and right. There, arranged in perfect rows, was his contingent of Beastman troopers. They stood at attention, awaiting the arrival of their lord and master.

A slight movement across the _Dai-Gantei's_ surface drew Viral's eye. Finally, what he had been waiting for. A small object detached itself from the massive Dai-Gan, followed swiftly by a larger object. A shuttle and a tall, cloaked Ganman flew down to meet Viral's troop.

Ribo had arrived.

* * *

_Earlier the previous day_

The Knights were called forth into the audience chamber. Enzai and Clora met each other in the hallway and walked silently to meet their lord. Neither spoke much, and neither took his or her gaze from the hall ahead. Mito was conspicuously absent, but not even this abnormality drew comment from of the giant of a man and the small pigtailed girl.

Before long, they arrived at Viral's personal section of the ship. The boundary was clearly marked with an ornate wooden door, and going through it the decor shifted from the fanciness of the Knights' quarters to the outright lavishness of true royalty. Enzai had always snorted at his lord's tastes, but royalty was royalty. His jaw twitched, as it always did when he entered Ribo's section, but nothing was said.

From there, the audience chamber was only a short ways away. The Knights entered the familiar room with the dais and the throne.

"Welcome, my Knights," announced Ribo grandly. "I am glad to see you all are well."

The Knights bowed.

Enzai grunted. Inwardly, he was annoyed at Ribo. Couldn't the kid drop the pompous act when they were alone, at least?

"So long as your Lordship is healthy, so will I be as well," stated Clora with another bow. "My life is your own, now and forever."

Enzai snorted inwardly. _Little suckup wretch._

"Good. But I scarce need affirmations of your loyalty." Ribo smiled, waving his hand dismissively. "Let us begin. I have tasks for you."

"Pardon me, Lord Ribo," interrupted Enzai, "but you may note that Mito is not present." He felt an instantaneous urge to clean his tongue of the overly pedantic speech.

"Mito is away on business," replied Ribo curtly. "For the moment, the Knights will be working separately."

"My Lord?" asked Clora incredulously.

"Indeed, I sense your concern," said Ribo. "Unfortunately, this is the way it must be for now."

There was a sudden jolt, and the Knights tottered slightly. Then the room returned to normal.

"What was that?" growled Enzai instinctively, though he already knew the answer.

"We have begun our descent," stated Ribo smugly. "Viral has taken the capital. We shall be relocating there."

Enzai was unsure what to think of it. On the one hand, he had been half-hoping that the Regent would die somewhere in battle. On the other hand, he was beginning to have a little respect for the Beastman commander.

"Once we reach ground, I will be leaving the _Dai-Gantei_ for a time," said Ribo. "I cannot leave the base unattended, and so one of you will have to stay behind to take care of things here, while the other comes with me as an escort."

Enzai could already see the gleam coming into Clora's eyes. She was so obvious, and yet she would likely never get her message across no matter how direct she was about it.

And if he decided he wanted to play bodyguard, the pigtailed girl's mouth would never cease.

"I'll do it," said Enzai gruffly. "I'll attend to the _Dai-Gantei_ in your absence, Lord Ribo."

Clora just barely kept her glee in check, while Ribo clapped his hands together solemnly.

"It is done, then," he announced. "You both may leave. Clora, you may go to your Ganman to prepare for disembark. Enzai, you may go to the bridge. I've already sent word down to them."

"We hear and obey," said the two in unison with a deep bow. Ribo waved, and they walked out.

The great audience doors closed behind them with a snap. The two continued walking, but this time, the mutual silence was broken.

"That was very magnanimous of you," observed Clora. "Taking control of the Dai-Gantei, when I bet you'd very much like to take part in the action."

"Please," grumbled Enzai as he stomped along. "It's not like we'll be seeing much either way."

"No, but I know how much you hate being cooped up in Dai-Gantei. What were your real motivations, Enzai Golgi?" The orange-haired knight grumbled a bit before responding.

"You're not very good at being subtle," he relented. "I didn't feel like fighting with you for a chance to go out. I'd never hear the end of it."

"As I thought!" said Clora smugly. "I hope you don't expect me to owe you one. After all, you did do it out of pity, didn't you?"

Enzai grunted, but didn't respond. He didn't bother telling her about how he laughed behind her back, or that he just wanted to see her waste her time on a man who would never respond. He suspected she knew already but didn't care.

"You look grumpy," commented Clora. "What's eating you, hmmm? Enzai? What's gnawing at your gut?"

"I don't like this plan," grumbled Enzai. "It splits us up. Our fighting effectiveness gets halved. Cut in thirds, I mean. And where the hell's Mito, anyway? That chain-smoking tranny…"

"Ooooh, you're testy," teased Clora.

They stopped at an intersection. Here they would have to part ways, one to the bridge, the other to the hangars.

"Shut up and get to your Ganman already," growled Enzai, narrowing his green eyes down at the girl, whose head was below his biceps. "I don't feel like listening to your chatter any more."

"Oh, nooooo!" said Clora mockingly, stepping back and making a face. "Not the big scary Enzai-bear! I didn't know you were a Beastman! And I'll have you know, Ribo-dear's the only one allowed to tell me what to do."

"He told you to go to the hangars," glowered the tall knight. "That's that way. I'm going this way, to the bridge. Follow me, and I'll throw you out a window."

"Ooooh, I'm scared!" mocked Clora. All the same, she turned to leave, her flower-like pigtails flopping. She made her way down the hall.

Enzai growled. Sometimes he really, really hated his coworkers.

All he wanted to do was fight...nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

"How much longer?"

"About ten minutes."

Dayakka nodded, acknowledging Leeron's response. He pressed a button, activating the PA system.

"All right, we have ten minutes until the island comes into sight!" he announced. "Let's get ready! Ganman pilots to your Ganmen, gunners to the guns, Attenborough, get your ass up here! Everyone else, I'm sure you know what to do! We'll meet these Beastmen head-on! Let's move it!"

He released the button and sat back in his chair, releasing a sigh. The stress was already building, weighing heavily on his mind. The lives of a hundred men were heavy indeed.

"Relax," assured Tetsukan, sensing his superior's discomfort. "Everything'll be fine. Besides, you're not the leader anyways. That's Simon."

"I can only imagine how he's feeling," replied Dayakka.

"He's probably fine," said Leeron. "I mean, this is Simon we're talking about. I'm sure he's got everything under control."

* * *

Simon was sweating buckets.

"Are you all right up there?" inquired Kiyal from her seat in Gurren. "You look...kinda worried."

"No, I'm fine," reassured Simon, waving a hand at the little picture on his viewscreen. "Let's focus on beating the enemy. You remember what I taught you?"

"You didn't really teach me much," replied Kiyal anxiously. "Sit tight and feel the Ganman. That's what you said."

"Yes, but that's the important part," Simon lectured. "Ganman piloting isn't something you can teach, really. Most of it is learned through experience. Don't worry, it's very intuitive. And I can already tell that you're a natural."

"Awwww, quit flattering me!" blushed Kiyal. "A lady can only endure so much of that before she's overwhelmed!"

"It wasn't flattery, it was encouragement," said Simon sternly. Then he smiled.

"But seriously, don't worry," he said softly. "We'll be all right. Just like always. And I'll be right here, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

Kiyal blushed harder.

"We'll be able to see the base in a hundred and twenty seconds!" came an announcement over the intercom. "Simon, you should deploy now!"

"Good idea! Let's get ready to meet those Beast-bastards!" ordered Simon. "All Ganmen, deploy and get into formation like we rehearsed!"

Hangar doors opened in the ceiling, walls and floor. The original Gurren Brigade Ganmen poured out first, taking position floating along in front of the ship. Other Ganmen streamed out of the portals, mainly Grunt and _Falgan_ types piloted by volunteers, but dotted here and there by the occasional custom-type. Within a moment they had arranged themselves in four groups, one that flew along over top of the ship, one that hung about the bottom, and two that arrayed themselves along the sides. Simon was at the very tip of the formation, Gurren Lagann's wings spread wide. He summoned a drill and pointed it ahead.

"Let's drill right through their defences!" he yelled. "Dai-Gurren Brigade! Charge!"

There was a great roar in response as his men showed their enthusiasm. Ahead on the horizon, a gray shape appeared and began to grow larger.

* * *

Rossiu was a pacer.

It didn't happen often, but sometimes he would come across a problem that he could neither solve nor put aside for later consideration. When that happened he would pace. Back and forth, to and fro, one hand on his chin, the other gripping his elbow. This was what he was doing when Kinon knocked on the door to his room.

"Come in, come in," he mumbled absently. The door nudged open, and Kinon walked in. She had her clipboard with her; she had taken to carrying it just about everywhere. Now she adjusted her glasses and flipped through a couple documents.

"Um, Rossiu," she started. "I've come to discuss some things with you."

Rossiu grunted noncommittally and continued his pacing.

"Remember how we set up a program for allocating the refugees to various trades? It seems there, uh, was a problem. There are too many newcomers in some jobs, and, um, we should probably do something, um..."

She looked up from her clipboard and regarded Rossiu's pacing.

"Um, Rossiu? Are you listening to me?"

Rossiu started at Kinon's words and stopped his relentless pacing. He looked to her, apologetic. Kinon adjusted her glasses again, shyly.

"Should I leave?"

"No, no, please don't," said Rossiu. "I'm just a bit preoccupied with something."

"Okay, so, um, the farmers are complaining that..."

Rossiu had not begun pacing again, but his eyes were staring off into space and he was quite obviously not paying attention. Kinon held her clipboard tight and stepped back towards the door.

"I'll just come back later, then, so-"

"Wait!" interrupted Rossiu, grabbing her arm. Kinon blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry I can't help-"

"Maybe you can," interrupted Rossiu again. "Here, sit down."

He pulled her over and set her down on the bed. He backed up and began pacing again.

"So, I was thinking," he began. "Simon's gone off to fight Ribo, right?"

"Yes, he has," answered Kinon. "Are you suspecting that perhaps he has gone somewhere else?"

"No, no," replied Rossiu, waving his hands apologetically. "I just mean...this is just the preamble."

"All right," said Kinon, bowing her head. Rossiu continued pacing.

"So, Simon's off to war. Him and the rest of the Brigade. Meanwhile, we get left with a village to protect and a whole bunch of refugees to organize. We're not able to help with the actual fighting." Here he stopped and turned to face Kinon.

"But why?" he asked. "I don't expect an answer because there is none. Why should we just sit here? Why can't we help out?"

"Well, we have the village-" began Kinon.

"But why not treat the village as an outpost? Or a base?" he shot back, clearly having gone over these arguments before. "We have plenty of manpower. There are plenty of Ganman parts lying around. Why don't we create our own army? Why don't we contact the other villages, get some Ganmen together, and start attacking Ribo's forces?"

Kinon was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't think of an answer."

"But that's just it," said Rossiu, turning away and studying the floor. "I know it's the right thing to do. I know it's what has to be done. But I can't help but feel something holding me back. I can't help but feel like something's...wrong. I don't know if it's because I'll be risking so many lives, I don't know if it's leftover emotions from the sacking of Kamina City, but..."

He didn't continue. Kinon thought about this for a moment, before taking all of her courage and speaking out loud.

"I don't know how things will work out," she began, quietly, shyly. "Nobody can be sure of that."

She stood and walked forward, putting a hand on Rossiu's back.

"But the one thing I have faith in is the Brigade, and you. I believe that whatever you decide to do, it's in all of our best interests. And because of this, I will always be ready to support you."

She walked out, already beginning to tremble at the sheer strength of the emotions she had just let out. Rossiu stayed behind, head bowed, face unreadable.

Less than a half an hour later, orders went out for the formation of a tentative new Ganman militia.

* * *

Bleak, gray walls of cement five feet thick. Large, powerful turrets at every strategic point. Legions of Ganmen, aerial and aquatic. Several hundred of the Teppelin Empire's worst enemies and traitors, human sympathizers and those who sought to usurp the throne lay beneath the massive star-shaped prison, and it was guarded just as heavily as would be expected. Heavier, even. This was the reality of Centrallio Prison.

The Dai-Gurren Brigade's battle for Centrallio began before the island was even clear on the horizon, as flights of _Falgans_ streaked in to intercept the _Dai-Gurren_ while aquatic _Turitas_ and Dolphin-marine Beastmen bombarded the Brigade from below the surface of the waves with missiles. The Brigade responded by crashing straight on into the aerial battle, while several squads detached to strafe the ocean's surface while dropping charges into the water. The _Dai-Gurren's_ cannons aimed at the enemy Ganmen, and at Attenborough's enthusiastic button pressing, they spewed bullets into the enemy ranks.

"Keep going!" yelled Simon as he put a drill into a _Falgan_'s forehead. "Break through their ranks!"

"They're only basic grunt models!" called Kittan. "We can do this!"

The Brigade pushed forward. Ribo's forces simply flowed around them and peppered the _Dai-Gurren's_ sides and back with automatic fire. There was a series of explosions as sea-to-air missiles impacted with the _Dai-Gurren's_ hull, and it slowed, the flight spheres faltering.

"There's too many!" observed Kidd. He raised the _Kidd Knuckle's_ guns and let loose a volley into a cluster of enemy Ganmen. "There's no way we're going to be able to beat all of them!"

"That's why we have to break through!" answered Dayakka as the _Dai-Gurren_ was rocked by yet another volley of enemy fire. "The plan is to break through and assault the fortress directly, stopping them at the source! Then we convince the prisoners to help us take the island!"

"At this rate, I don't think that's going to happen," said Leeron with worry. "I don't think the _Dai-Gurren_ can go much farther. We'll get sliced to ribbons by the fortress defenses."

"Dammit!" cursed Simon. "So what do we do now? Should I unleash the Drill Barrage?"

"No, Simon!" called Dayakka. "You need to conserve your energy for the main fortress! We'll stay here with the volunteers and keep the main force busy! You take the Brigade and smash a hole straight through the fortress!"

"The idea has merit," quipped Leeron. "With a small force, you could probably get through their air cover mostly intact. It's not like Simon has a problem taking out legions of Ganmen, anyway."

"...All right!" agreed Simon after a moment's hesitation. "Don't die on me, Dayakka!"

"Who the hell do you think we are?" asked Dayakka with a grin. "We're the Dai-Gurren Brigade! If you think we'll die that easily, you don't know us that well!"

"I have faith in you, Dayakka! You and the entire Brigade!"

Simon let go of the controls.

"Kiyal!"

Kiyal snapped out of a trance at the sound of Simon calling her name. The rush of battle had completely overwhelmed her. The constant noise and flurry of movement covering her screen had overloaded her senses. Now, she looked up to where Simon was.

"Simon! I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't be!" he said with a smile. "I have a job for you now!"

"Wha-"

"I have to conserve my strength, right? So you're going to take us through this cloud of amateurs and aim us straight at their base!"

Kiyal was shocked.

"Me? Pilot?" she gasped.

"Didn't you sign up for this?" asked Simon.

"No, I mean, I just-"

"Go, Kiyal!" ordered Simon. "I have faith in you. And besides, I'm right here to help you!"

Kiyal was still for a moment, frozen in her thoughts. Simon trusted her. He was giving her such an important job.

There was a crunching sound. Kiyal's head went up, and the _Gurren Lagann_ turned around. Behind them, Kittan was removing a grunt Ganman from the massive golden sword he had had specially commissioned to replace the _Kiyalunga_.

"Shouldn't let your guard down, sis!" he said cheerily. "You're lucky though, because I'll always be here to guard your back!"

"Don't forget us!" chirped Kidd.

"What are we, chopped liver?" asked Iraak.

"...I'll be here too," grunted Makken.

"We are here, we are here!" cheered Jorgan and Balinbou.

"Hey, hey, don't leave me out!" smirked Zorthy.

Kiyal smiled. That was the Brigade. Always ready to help each other out. She would always have their support, now and forever.

And she couldn't fail Simon.

"Let's go!" she shouted. "Dai-Gurren Brigade! Kick their asses!"

The Brigade cheered. _Gurren Lagann_ raised its fist high, finger pointing to the heavens. Then the levi-sphere flared, and it zoomed off towards Centrallio proper.

One green trail, flanked by three blue trails on either side. The seven Ganmen charged at full speed to assault the fortress, while behind them, the _Dai-Gurren_ continued its battle above the ocean.

* * *

It didn't take long for Ribo to finish greeting the forces that had retaken Teppelin. Viral wondered somewhat at this. He would have expected the young king to revel in the attention of the crowd, the way he usually did. Instead he delivered a short and succinct speech commending them and then hurried off to the command tent to discuss arrangements with Viral regarding setting up a more permanent base of operations.

Clora tagged along, of course, under the pretext of acting under her orders to guard Ribo. It was pretty clear what her real intentions were, judging by how close she stuck to him. Viral wondered briefly what she'd done to convince Enzai to stay on the _Dai-Gantei._

Ribo was talking again. Viral snapped out of his stupor and listened, if not intently, then at least with slight interest.

"I'd like to begin relocating everything into _Dekabutsu_'s hull as soon as possible," Ribo was saying. "We're going to have to do a lot of remodelling, but I'm working with Kuroko on that. This is going to be a proper base, and soon after, it will become the new Empire's capital city. Before we do anything, though, I'd like to do a full survey of the structure."

"As you wish," intoned Viral.

"That's a good doggy," mocked Clora. Viral didn't bother soliciting her with a counter-remark. Ribo just smiled over his wine glass. Again with the alcohol. Viral left his own glass full.

"Now, now, Clora, Viral is your equal. Treat him nicely."

The greenhead turned towards her king with shock.

"My Lord?"

"Viral is the hero of the beastmen, and my Lord Regent as I have entitled him. He is as much your equal as Enzai or Mito."

Viral let the ghost of a toothed smirk show on his face. Judging by the glare directed his way, Clora had the ability to sense ghosts.

_'Take that, bitch,'_ thought the shark-cat, hoping she was psychic as well.

"May I ask, Lord," said Viral, "where the other Royal Knights are? I would have expected you to bring all three of them."

"If you must," acceded Ribo. "I left Enzai to maintain the Dai-Gantei in my absence, and Mito is away on business for me."

"What kind of business?" asked Viral intently.

"Oh, don't even try," said Clora with a hint of exasperation. "He won't tell anyone, not even dearest me."

"It's not necessary for any of you to know," smiled Ribo secretively. "Let's just say, he's working on some pleasant surprises." Clora grumbled. Viral turned to his next question.

"What about the humans?" he asked. "The Dai-Gurren Brigade. Have we tracked them down yet?"

"No, I'm afraid not," sighed the boy-king. "We're not quite sure where they are or what they're doing. You can probably see how this is problematic."

"Sir, may I suggest something?" asked Viral. "They probably had to stop at one of the villages for supplies."

"Ah, yes," said the young king, his eyes gleaming. "That's true. Well, if it's a village, Mito will take care of it eventually, and-"

Ribo stopped mid-sentence and cocked his head, staring off into space. Viral stared at him, while Clora only rolled her eyes.

"It seems they've begun an assault on Centrallio," said Ribo with a start. His Regent continued staring.

"Wireless implant," explained Ribo, pulling back a lock of hair to demonstrate the mechanical implant in his ear. "I am always up to date." Viral saw the possibilities, but couldn't help thinking that most of them could easily be filled with a simple communicator.

"Should we move out? Centrallio contains some of the Empire's worst traitors and criminals, not to mention human sympathizers," asked Viral, moving to stand.

"No. The _Zessho-Enki_, for one, is unfit for either sea or air combat at the moment," stated the young king coolly. "And Clora has to stay with me, as my guard."

"So we let them take the prison island and add onto their ranks?" asked Viral, incredulous.

"No," said Ribo simply. "Centrallio has its own defenses. You should preoccupy yourself with filling out my orders. For now, survey the damage to Dekabutsu. Take care not to disturb anything, however. I want everything as close as possible to how it was when my father owned it."

Viral bowed out with a quick "Yes, my Lord". On his way out he muttered something about seeing "that hyperactive cat-woman" about "modifications".

"What a good boy," purred Clora. "Now we're all alone, Ribo honey. What shall we do?"

"I have to put in a call to Kuroko," replied Ribo, turning to leave the tent. "I have to discuss things with her."

Clora pouted and followed him out.

* * *

The Brigade hit Centrallio with their usual style and grace. Of course, this being the Brigade, "style" and "grace" in this case meant "explosions" and "more explosions".

Even before they got close the automatic cannons locked on to their formation, turrets turning, massive metal barrels angling out towards the ocean. A thousand tiny lights lit up on Centrallio, and the cannons sent out a huge wave of shells, bullet fire, and homing missiles to the roar of a thousand controlled explosions.

"Split up!" ordered Simon. Kiyal twisted the controls, and _Gurren Lagann_ veered to avoid a pack of missiles. The rest of the Brigade followed suit, each member veering off to find a separate way through the massive barrage. The defenses responded by unleashing an even larger curtain of fire.

"Crap! This is pretty intense!" yelled Kidd as the _Kidd Knuckle_ swerved to avoid a swath of bullets and destroyed a pack of missiles with its pistols. "I mean, what the hell?"

"You're an idiot if you expected anything else," chided Iraak.

"Keep moving," grunted Makken as he struggled to maneuver to avoid the more concentrated sections of fire. "Less chatter."

"Don't be such babies, all of you!" chortled Zorthy as his Ganman effortlessly swerved around and through the fire curtain. "This is nothing, really!"

Jorgan and Balinbou just screamed as they ran straight through, their _Twin Boukun_ absorbing everything that hit it.

"Arg!" cried Kiyal as the _Gurren Lagann_ hit the edge of a stream of bullets, leaving a large scoring along the side. "I can't do this! Simon, you take over!"

"You're doing fine!" encouraged Simon, even as his hands tightened around the controls, just in case. "C'mon, just a little more! Ram us right down their throat!"

"That's right, little sis!" agreed Kittan. "You're a Bachika! Ganman piloting is in our blood!"

"Easy for you to say!" retorted Kiyal as she was forced to twist the controls violently once more. "You're having almost no trouble dodging this!"

Suddenly, the barrage ceased. The Brigade regrouped, cautiously continuing their flight towards the fortress.

"What the hell?" said Kidd, stunned. "What happened?"

"...Maybe they ran out of ammo?" suggested Kiyal hopefully.

"I really don't think that's the case," replied Simon. He moved his controls slightly, and the _Gurren Lagann_'s finger rose to point.

"... Ah crap," breathed Zorthy, his cigarette falling out of his open mouth.

A veritable wave of Ganmen was launching from Centrallio proper. It started small, only one or two units floating up, then more and more followed until there was a massive, glittering cloud of white Ganmen.

"...I think I'll agree with Zorthy," added Iraak. "Zoom in on them."

All the pilots engaged their magnifiers. Soon they were all aware of the fact that every single model in the wave was a variation on Viral's former _Enki_ model, every single unit outfitted with a weapon that Simon had dreaded since his first days of fighting. The days when Kamina had still been alive.

The Charge Particle Cannon ring. And they _all had it._

There was a moment of silence as this fact sank in. They had thought they'd left the main force behind them. The force they'd left with the Dai-Gurren was a camping party compared to this.

Things were looking bad. They were looking worse than they ever had.

"FUCK THEM AND THEIR MOTHERS, WE'RE THE DAI-GURREN BRIGADE!"

Kittan's shout brought the Brigade to their senses, reminding them who they were, what they fought for, and most importantly, what they specialized in. With a roar, they charged the enemy head-on, not a care in the world, their confidence unbreakable in the face of insane odds, even when they started seeing red blips upon the heads of the samurai-esque Ganmen.

Because that's what the Brigade did.

* * *

Yoko grunted as she flopped onto her bed.

She then reconsidered her decision, got up, took off the damn frilly dress, and _then_ flopped back onto the bed.

The class was supposedly called etiquette. To her, it felt more like a lesson in patience wherein it became progressively harder not to kill someone.

Etiquette. Where the hell did they get a word that was so weird to read and write?

She rolled over and grabbed a sheet of paper she had dropped on the night table. It was her timetable. There it was, what with the E and the Q that was really a K and the U that didn't seem to be doing anything else but pissing you off.

Of course, it was really just one course among many that just happened to get on her nerves. The others were really much more interesting. Mathematics, Science, Language Arts (which was reading and writing nicely), a course on _real_ art (which the teacher was really snobbish about), a music course that had especially surprised her, a geography course where she had learned that, yes, Leeron was right when he said the world was round, and last but not least, an astrology course.

And, poised to ruin her day, at the very end of every day's lessons was Etiquette.

Sometimes Ribo came to sit and watch. She dreaded the day when the teacher started on dancing.

Although, she also had a couple blank slots after Etiquette, so it wasn't like she went to sleep trying to remember...whatever. The class was so boring that she'd already forgotten what the subject had been for that day.

A couple of those slots she'd already given over to exercise, practicing her sniper abilities, and things like that, but there were still more. She wondered what to do with them.

As she lay there, mind blank, her gaze moved to the window. It was a very nice window, rather large, with glass as clear as...glass. It let in plenty of nice sunlight.

At the moment, though, it was giving her a view of the ruins of Kamina City, and all the Beastmen scurrying around rebuilding and…

Were they burning bodies?

She jumped out of bed and tore the curtains closed. She couldn't bear to remember that day, couldn't bear the sight of what the Beastmen were doing to her former neighbours.

Grumbling, she threw on her old outfit of a bikini-top, thigh-high stockings and short-shorts. She needed something to get the memories of her mind, and she had plenty of spare time. She knew exactly where she would go.

She was going to see Kuroko.

**First part of the War arc of Nucleotide. Hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the late update. Finals and laziness.**

**If you like this fic you may like Words Without a Voice or the TTGL fics created/beta'ed by 1 over 0.**

**Beta'ed by Juubi-K and 1 over 0 and Zaru. Written by 1 over 0**


	10. The Ballroom Blitz Part 2

Kiyal's jaw was beginning to hurt.

In fact, her entire face was beginning to ache. Her forehead hurt from the permanent frown she had on. Her eyes were beginning to tire from flicking around all over the place, afraid to even blink. Hell, even her nose was beginning to hurt for some unknown reason. It also itched, the way your nose has a tendency to itch when your hands are busy.

And then, of course, was her jaw. The entire area, both upper and lower, ached sorely from the way she had her teeth locked firmly together in a grimace of intense, life-threatening concentration.

_'Funny what you notice when you're about to die,' _she thought morbidly as she slammed the controls to the side to avoid an oncoming flurry of Charge Particle Cannon beams.

The damn things were everywhere. Her view was basically a frantic medley of red, white and blue: the red of CPCs firing, the white of the thrice-damned Enki units, and scattered patches of blue sky.

Kiyal was numb to it all. Her mind had stopped; gone to that place you go to when you don't want to think any more, don't want to feel. Her body kept acting based pretty much solely on instinct, piloting the Ganman better than she ever had before. A flitting thought wondered whether or not this was what Simon had been trying to teach her to do. She watched numbly as she piloted Gurren Lagann around and through the wave of Enki units, weaving through CPC barrages, tearing through Ganmen with drills. It was amazing, and very frightening.

Enki. Why did it have to be Enki? They'd destroyed Enki. Or at least, that was what she'd told herself. Enki was dead. Enki was gone. Even when the Zessho-Enki had attacked Kamina City, she'd reasoned that it wasn't Enki. It wasn't the tall, white demon of fire with the terrifying helmet of burning destruction that had burned her village to the ground, her mother with it. Enki was gone forever, left only to haunt her memories.

Enki had come back with a vengeance.

Vaguely, she was aware that she was screaming. She wasn't sure whether it was in fear or in rage. She watched bleakly as she tore the helmet off of one of the Enkis and shoved it into the cockpit, causing it to explode in a conflagration of metal and flame.

Probably a mixture of both, she decided.

There was more yelling, only it wasn't her this time. She didn't care, as she took Gurren Lagann deeper and deeper into the enemy horde. Forward, always forward. Was she running towards them, or trying to break free and run away?

Suddenly there was a weight on top of her, and something was obscuring her view of the battle. She felt her hands as they were torn away from the controls, sensation slowly returning to them in the form of a dull aching in her fingers. Her hearing came back next, sounds, slowly filtering through to where she had hidden herself deep inside her mind.

"-out of it, Kiyal! You're going too deep! You've got to snap out of it! Come back to me, Kiyal!"

Her vision slowly, hesitatingly refocused. Her gaze trailed up the blue sleeves, passed the red piece of cloth tied around the arm, traced along the collar before reaching those dark eyes that she had always been fond of.

"Kiyal? Are you with me now?" asked Simon gently, looking her straight in the eye. Concern was written across his face, and she could see it in his eyes: the kind of genuine concern that had always been his forte, always been her favourite part of him.

"...Simon?" she asked hesitantly. She could feel his hands clasped around her wrists, holding them down, away from the controls. Where had he come from? She looked up, past the drill that connected Gurren and Lagann. The hole was more than large enough for him to drop through.

"You snapped for a second there," informed Simon.

Kiyal nodded slowly. She could feel him, his body pressing to hers against the seat. She could feel his warmth, his aura of calming kindness. All she wanted to do was curl up in his arms, safe from the Enki hordes.

_'Funny what you notice when your life is in danger,'_ she thought blankly, even as she whispered the word "Enki," to Simon.

"Yeah, it's Enki," said Simon, his brow momentarily furrowing in worry. "Don't get me wrong, I'm afraid of them too. But we have the courage to break through the fear, and when we can do that, nothing can touch us."

He shifted to the side, and she could see that, all around them, the Brigade was fighting to protect Gurren Lagann in its moment of vulnerability. They bravely fended off the Enki units, even as the wave of white surrounded them and outnumbered them.

Simon began his climb back up to Lagann. He grasped the flanges of Lagann's drill, hauling himself back up to his seat in the head. Once back in his seat, he grasped the controls and bent his head down to smile confidently at Kiyal.

"Remember, Kiyal," he told her. "I'm always right here. Believe in the you that I believe in."

A surge of hope coursed through Kiyal's body, eradicating what little fear she had left. She slowly smiled again, as the spiral gauge in front of Simon lit up with energy.

"We're back online," he informed his fellow Brigadiers.

"Thanks for dealing with that," replied Kittan with some relief. "Out of all of us, Kiyal...never really healed. Y'know?"

"It's fine. I understand," said Simon with a nod. "It looks like none of us got to the surface without having had something taken away."

"Yeah, but that just means we've got to put up twice the fight to keep what we've gained," said Kittan. "What would Kamina say if we lost now?"

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Simon. "So let's show these bastards how hard we're willing to fight!"

His spiral gauge climbed steadily, and Gurren Lagann's eyes lit up with green energy. He yelled his challenge into the Enki hordes, and they responded by charging all of their cannons at once, prepared to obliterate the Brigade even if it meant destroying themselves in the crossfire. Drills sprouted all over Gurren Lagann's body, glowing green with energy, and, almost in sync, both sides unleashed their fury in a light show that would have blinded the Brigadiers if their screens hadn't immediately gone opaque to prevent exactly that.

The drills met the Charged Particle Beams, deflecting the beams of red light and splitting them along their length, tracing them back to their source. Some of the Enki units in the back rows saw what was happening and attempted to break away, but it was too late. Each drill found its target with unerring accuracy, spearing through the CPC ring and causing it to malfunction, exploding in a sphere of red light. The spheres expanded outwards, and would have incinerated the Brigade if a massive force field of green hadn't grown out from Gurren Lagann to shield them against the blasts.

For several moments, all the Brigade could see was a screen of red and green. When everything had cleared, the field shrunk and disappeared. No trace was left of the Enki units, nothing to suggest that they had ever even been there.

"Did I get all of them?" panted Simon, leaning back in his seat as sweat beaded on his forehead. He was slumped, head bowed trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry to disappoint," said Iraak grimly. "But it looks like they have more friends."

Yet another squadron of Ganmen was rising up from Centrallio's central compound. There were less of them this time, but they weren't a unit the Brigade was used to dealing with. They were colored purple and were armored more heavily than the slimmer, streamlined Enki. They, too, had the CPC, but even that seemed to be different. Only experience would tell what other weapons they hid up their sleeves.

"Well, at least it's not Enki," commented Simon, cracking his knuckles. "Dai-Gurren Brigade, let's get to work!"

"Yeah!"

The Brigade got back into formation and boosted forward, ready to face yet another series of new threats.

* * *

Ribo sat back in his chair, a comfortable leather armchair that he had had transported from the Dai-Gantei. Arrayed in front of him was a multitude of screens, showing various bits of data and, scattered among them, several real-time feeds from Centrallio's security systems. Behind him several Beastmen and some Nucleotype overseers worked on the technical screens, managing his temporary forward headquarters.

A screen in the lower-left corner blipped to life, and Kuroko's face popped up on the screen. She waved to her king.

"Hello, Ribo darling~!" she greeted him cheerily. "How's your setup, nya?"

"Perfect, thank you," said Ribo, inclining his head. "Everything I need is right here. I assume you're seeing exactly the same information?"

"Well, a little more actually, but otherwise yeah," confirmed the cat-Beastwoman. "He's amazing, isn't he, nya?"

"Indeed," mused Ribo. His rival had once again proved himself worthy. Ribo was beginning to see how the boy had defeated his father; he possessed a truly amazing amount of Spiral Power. For an average human, anyway; in Nucleotype terms, so far he had only managed to brush the higher levels.

"Still nothing compared to my own power," he said, half to himself and half to Kuroko. "How goes the new Centrallio Defense System?"

"We got lucky~!" purred Kuroko. "They showed up just as the defences were being completed. In fact, they're engaging the new Gilga units right now, nya."

"And what of the High Energy Laser Cannons?" asked Ribo.

"Please, dear, call them HELCs."

"All right, my dear." The young Emperor smiled indulgently. "What is the status of the HELCs?"

"Aaaaalmost calibrated, darling. I figure they should be done by the time our visitors make it to the island proper, nya."

"Good," intoned Ribo, pleased. "We have to defend the entrance at all costs. They cannot get into the prison levels."

"Easily done. Our assets are very well defended."

"Very well. Keep me informed via my implant." Ribo stood. "I have other business to attend to."

He turned and regarded his father's study, now his own. The place was massive, packed full of books and documents and scientific instruments. It would take forever to search through all of it.

Ribo vowed that, even if it took an eternity, he would find what he was looking for.

* * *

The new units were fast and powerful, far beyond even the Enki units in speed and strength. From the moment they engaged, Simon knew that the Brigade was in trouble.

The new units weren't just another Enki redesign. They were something else entirely. They were bigger, stronger, more heavily armored. Large pauldrons covered the shoulders, and the hands were massive, as if they wore giant gauntlets. The faces in their bodies grimaced darkly, like soldiers who had seen too much bloodshed but were prepared to shed more for their cause. From the waist a metal skirt fanned out, protecting the upper legs, a massive version of Ribo's insignia cinching the plates together. The legs ended in massive booted greaves, painted purple like the rest of the armour. Much like the Enki units, these bore a second head on top, but unlike Enki's, they were tooled to look like great helmets, and a baleful red glow peered forth from behind the V-shaped visor. The units also carried CPCs, though these were smaller, and the ring was interspersed with jagged spikes that rayed outwards. Above the pauldrons protruded two great handles, obviously the hilts for some kind of sword.

These swords soon saw action, as they were quickly drawn in order to fight against the Brigade. The air was filled with a strange kind of humming, sending chills down Simon's spine. The two forces clashed.

Simon drew Gurren's shades and used them to parry a strike from one of the new Ganmen. The Ganman quickly drew its second sword and struck again, forcing Simon to retreat backwards to avoid getting hit. The Ganman followed quickly, its levisphere leaving a purple trail in the sky.

"Damn they're fast!" yelled Simon, weaving to avoid another strike. "I can't get away!"

"You're telling us!" called back Kidd as he played a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with another unit, trying to stay out of range while firing back with the Kidd Knuckle's pistols.

Makken was trying to fight one of the new units with his sword. For several moments they seemed to be matched equally, though Makken had only one sword while his opponent had two. But then the humming spiked in intensity, and with its next strike, the enemy sheared Makken's sword in two.

"Our weapons are no match," announced Moshogun's pilot grimly. The blue mecha tossed away the useless hunk of metal. It fell for several seconds before splashing into the ocean.

"No kidding!" yelled Kittan as his sword, too, was cut in half. Unlike Makken, when he discarded his sword, he discarded it straight at the enemy. His opponent flicked its swords, slicing the remains of the sword in half again and sending the remains down into the ocean.

Simon sheathed Gurren's shades back onto the Ganman's face, deciding to give up that angle before he lost the one-of-a-kind eyewear. "Stay away from them!" ordered the digger. "We'll use our speed to confuse them, then hit 'em hard and fast!" He silently thanked fate that there weren't that many of the new units: only one for each Brigade member.

The Brigade instantly took up the new tactic, zooming around their adversaries. It didn't work for long; the new Ganmen quickly took up pursuit, easily tailing the Brigade's Ganmen. They were going faster, even, slowly catching up. Some of the slower members, like Jorgun and Balinbou, took several hits from the strange swords.

"This is bad," remarked Iraak nervously, watching as his follower drew closer and closer, blades bared. "Reeeaaaaly bad."

"All right, then!" called Simon. "Group together, and fly up!"

The Brigade Ganmen gathered together in one mass and flew up, Simon at their centre. The enemy Ganmen did likewise, their purple trails grouping together and ascending.

Then the Dai-Gurren mecha split apart and zoomed off in different directions. The only unit left was Gurren Lagann, facing back at the enemy. Tiny, glowing drills covered its body.

"TAKE THIS!" yelled Simon, unleashing the Drill Barrage. Green trails sprouted from Gurren Lagann like tiny tendrils, arcing out and back to aim at the strange, purple Ganman squadron.

Just before they were hit, the enemy units pulled something out from behind their backs, something that Simon hadn't noticed earlier.

The drills impacted. A thousand green explosions burst out, turning the sky a brilliant shade of emerald. Simon stared intently at where the enemy had been, waiting to see the broken andsmouldering corpses of the Ganmen as he took deep breaths to regain his oxygen.

Then they burst out and up, through the field of explosions. Not one of them bore even a scar from the assault. In addition, each one held in front of it a smoking, kite-shaped shield, imprinted with Ribo's symbol of two crossed scimitars superimposed upon a spiral, all on a purple field trimmed with red.

"Impossible! They resisted it?" exclaimed Simon in shock. Then he gagged and fell into a coughing fit, blood mixed in with the saliva.

"Simon!" yelled Kiyal, coming fully conscious for the first time in several minutes.

"I put too much into that last volley..." wheezed the digger before lapsing back into a coughing spasm.

"Dammit!" yelled Kiyal, seeing that the enemy was approaching and that Simon was in no condition to pilot. She snatched the controls again. The enemy wasn't Enki this time. She could do this.

* * *

Kuroko flopped back in her chair, spinning slightly.

On the screen in front of her played the footage from Centrallio's defences. She watched as the Gilga units burst up and out of the cloud of smoke, unscathed.

"Well, whaddaya know. It actually worked," observed the Beastwoman mechanic as she sucked on a lollipop. "An honest-to-goodness Spiral-Power-Resistant material. Nya."

"Indeed," cut in Ribo. His image reappeared on one of the screens, his hands interlocked and his legs crossed in front of him. "One of the reasons I wanted to reclaim Dekabutsu; though most of its hull has been replaced with regular iron and steel over the years, there are still sections made of the material. It's not just resistant to Spiral Power - it actually tends to absorb it. It can be penetrated by ordinary means, of course, and with enough Spiral Power you can overwhelm it, but it's not easy."

"Well, now. I can't wait to get experimenting with it," said Kuroko with glee, rubbing her hands together. Her tail twitched happily.

"I'll make sure some of it is delivered to your new workshop."

"By the way, what is it called? I need a name to put in my files."

Ribo cocked his head to the side and brought his hand to his chin in thought. "Actually, I don't really know. It's from the old days, long before even the oldest Beastmen were born. There's not much on it in the records, either."

"Oh, well," sighed Kuroko. "We'll have to give it a new name, then."

"Soon enough. But not now. You have a visitor to attend to."

Kuroko quickly closed down her monitors; secret defense discussions and operations weren't for just anyone to see. She spun around in her chair to see who, exactly, wanted to visit her in her workshop.

She was surprised to see Yoko saunter in. The redhead looked curiously at the various contraptions that littered the room.

"Well, if it isn't the Queen-to-be herself!" declared Kuroko, startling the redhead. "Whatever could you want with little ol' me, nya?"

"Um, I had a free period," said Yoko, remembering her first encounter with the catwoman. "I was kinda hoping I could spend it here, and you could teach me about, ya know, Ganmen."

Kuroko regarded Yoko curiously. "Really? I wouldn't think you'd be all that interested."

Yoko shrugged. "I've fought them and piloted them. It's kind of in my best interests to get to know them a little better. And honestly, I've always been curious, but whenever I'd ask Leeron he'd mumble something filled with complicated terms and basically just ignore me."

"Well, I gueeeeessss I could teach you..." drawled Kuroko, looking up at the ceiling. "So long as you're not trying to steal defense secrets or anything!"

Yoko blinked. "Actually, I hadn't even thought of-"

"Then it's settled!" Kuroko pounced off of her chair and embraced Yoko fondly. "Welcome, my apprentice!"

Yoko peeled away from the catwoman. "Uh, thanks. So, where do we start?"

"Well, actually, I was about to move to my new place inside that big thing that used to be Teppelin. You can help me move there!"

The two began packing up Kuroko's workshop. As they did, Kuroko rambled on about Ganmen and the Knights and whether purple or green grapehippos were tastier and whatever else happened to cross her mind. Mentally, however, she was assessing, planning, and calculating, trying to gauge how best to teach Yoko and, more importantly, what the consequences would be, for both her and the young sniper.

Because, although Kuroko dearly longed to have an apprentice, or even, possibly, a friend, she had to consider whether or not she could afford the eventual results.

* * *

"Simon and Kiyal are in trouble!" shouted Kittan. "Dai-Gurren Brigade, move it! We've gotta save our leader!"

The Brigade circled back around to crash into the enemy, just as Kiyal put Gurren Lagann into freefall.

The red Ganman fell like a brick. As it did it twisted and spun, whirling about gracefully. The enemy units slashed as Gurren Lagann fell past, scoring the red armour but, thankfully, failing to wound it fatally. Gurren Lagann's feet lashed out and caught them in the head. Kiyal re-engaged the levisphere, boosting Gurren Lagann up and allowing her to follow up with a punch that knocked the helmet off one of the Ganmen.

She then spun to face the other one. When she did, she saw that the ring on its head was gathering energy into a red sphere.

_A burst of red light, and Kiyal went flying across the street. Pain coursed through her. She opened her eyes to see nothing but flames, opened her ears to hear nothing but screams, opened her nostrils to smell nothing but smoke, blood and death._

_Watched as her mother stumbled out of the wreckage, fire turning the clothes to ash, melting the skin away._

And she froze.

"KIYAL!" screamed Kittan as he watched a wide spray of red energy bolts hit Gurren Lagann from point-blank, spearing the unit behind it in the process. With the levisphere pack totaled, Gurren Lagann began to drop again, this time lacking the grace of Kiyal's controlled drop. The eldest Bachika screamed and pushed his Ganman forward, engaging one of the new units. His opponent quickly slashed off one of the King Kittan's arms, but because it held its shield, its other sword was sheathed on its back and unavailable to follow up. The Ganman tried to use its shield to block as its ring charged with red energy, but the Kittan went over the shield and grabbed the helmet, breaking it and causing an explosion that engulfed the enemy unit. Soon he was jetting down after the Gurren Lagann, hoping to catch it before it hit the water. An enemy unit peeled away from the pack and dropped after him.

Meanwhile, Kidd and Iraak had teamed up, zooming around one of the units, alternately kicking it and spraying it with gunfire. It whirled, tracking them, before charging up its cannon and firing a rain of energy bolts in Kidd's general direction. One of the bolts blew off the small left leg, sending the Ganman off-balance and removing one of Kidd's support levispheres. Iraak's immediate thought was for his brother, but he suppressed it and took the opportunity to kick the enemy mecha in the helmet ring with Ainzer's long legs. The ring broke, and an explosion consumed the enemy.

"Hit 'em in the head cannon when they're charging!" yelled Iraak. "That's their weak point!"

Makken ignored Iraak as he faced down his own opponent. The two units circled each other, each one tensing for the right moment to strike. Makken's adversary thought for a moment that he had seen Makken's guard drop, and rushed in for the kill, sword and shield at the ready. Makken dodged around on the shield side, grabbed his opponent's shield, twirled him, and grabbed the sword that remained on the back. With one neat slice he bisected the enemy mecha, and the two halves plunged into the ocean's depths.

"You have a good sword," complimented Makken.

Kidd, Iraak and Makken rushed over to where Zorthy and the twins were fighting. They weren't doing well; Sozoshin had already lost an arm, and the twins bore multiple scars on their Ganman's armor.

They didn't get there in time. The enemy tossed away its shield and drew the second sword in time to repel an attack from either side, slicing away Sozoshin's other arm and neatly cutting the Twin Boukun in two. It continued whirling, spinning towards Sozoshin, and its blades lashed out like a pair of scissors, cutting off the Ganman's legs and going through part of the cockpit.

The Brigade heard Zorthy's screams as his Ganman tumbled down.

"Iraak-!" yelled Makken, for the first time showing panic.

"On it!"

Ainzer jetted down to catch Sozoshin's mangled remains while Makken deftly parried the enemy's attack and, with two quick strikes, quartered it.

During this time, the last enemy unit had been chasing Kittan. The last enemy, the King Kittan, and Gurren Lagann all plummeted towards the ocean.

Just before they hit the water, Simon recovered the controls. With a flash of green light, the levisphere pack returned and the Gurren Lagann halted in midair, the force of the stop sending both Simon and Kiyal's heads into the backs of their seats. Seeing its adversary recovered, the pursuing enemy fired its beam cannon, hoping to catch both the King Kittan and Gurren Lagann with one blast. The bolts of red energy lanced down, spearing the King Kittan through the left eye, but leaving the main body intact. Simon deflected them with a drill, and then pointed the drill up.

"This one's just for you!" he yelled. The drill detached from Gurren Lagann's arm and rocketed up, propelled by a jet of green energy. The falling mecha raised its shield, hoping to catch the drill, as it was falling too fast to get out of the way in time.

For several precious, breathtaking moments, the shield held.

Simon's eyes widened in shock as the green energy slowly drained out of the drill, the jet faltering. But, despite the shield's strange properties, the drill broke through it through sheer mass and velocity. It buried itself in the enemy mecha, debris shooting out of the back. The Ganman crackled and sparked for a second, and then an explosion lit up the sky, turning the clouds orange.

Simon fell back in his seat with a sigh, feeling exhausted. He wiped the sweat off of his brow. Using Gurren Lagann had never drained him before in the way it had during the fight. Not even the fight with the Royal Knights had drained him this much. The only fight that came close was his fight with Lordgenome.

He then sighed again, this time in resignation. Despite all of that, they weren't done.

"I'll take over for a bit," offered Kiyal. "Get some rest while you can. We're still not done here." Inwardly, she worried about Simon's condition. She resolved to do her best to spare him from further exertion.

"I know," breathed Simon. "I just hope that the worst of it is over."

Even before he had finished saying it, he realized that it was a stupid hope.

* * *

Kuroko pounced back into her chair, spun once, and came to a stop in front of her array of monitors. At the press of a switch they quickly buzzed to life again, filling the workshop with a pervasive humming.

"Ribo? Ribo?" she called. "Dammit, Ribo-dear! What did I miss, nya?"

Ribo strolled into view again. He appeared to be engaged in some kind of physical labor, something uncharacteristic of the young emperor. He had removed his robes and exchanged them for a pair of dull brown pants and a white shirt.

"Ah! Kuroko. Salutations," he greeted her. "I am most glad to hear from you again."

"My visitor stuck around for a while. I actually just got rid of her; sent her to bring stuff to the new workshop."

"Well, you're here now. I believe you asked what happened? You can see for yourself."

The live feed blinked to life again, showing the aerial battle outside Centrallio. As Kuroko watched, the last Gilga unit was pierced by a drill and exploded.

"Those bastards!" Her teeth ground against each other. "They destroyed my precious beauties! I'll have to redesign them now, since obviously the current design is insufficient. Too much focus on melee and the CPC. And on top of that they're still too slow; I'll have to-"

"That can wait," interrupted Ribo. "For now, I require the HELCS to defend the base."

"Ah! You're right!" Kuroko flipped through some screens and tapped some keys, and lines of data began scrolling down her screen. She regarded them critically, and then grinned happily.

"Final calculations are done, and everything's calibrated!" she announced. "HELCs are ready when you are!"

"Then as your emperor..." He smirked, holding out his arm. "I command you to open fire!" He flung his arm to the side in dramatic flourish as he gave the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Kuroko pressed a key. A row of lights lit up on one of her screens. Still smiling, she sat back to watch.

* * *

"Is everyone okay?" wheezed Simon grimly when he had returned to his teammates.

"For the second time, no," answered Iraak, just as grimly. Ainzer held up the ruined Sozoshin. "Zorthy's injured, and he's not responding."

"Take him back to Dai-Gurren, now!" ordered Simon. "Makken, go with him as an escort."

"Understood."

"What about the twins?" asked Kiyal. "They're in no shape to fight."

"We're fine!" "Fine!" The Twin Boukun had been split in half, but thankfully each half was equipped with its own flight sphere and they were perfectly capable of acting on their own.

"No. This is an order. Get back to Dai-Gurren!"

The twins resisted silently, refusing to move.

"We can't wait here any longer," urged Kiyal. "Simon, we have to attack now, while we have an opening."

"Fine," said Simon grudgingly. "I still think they should stay behind."

"Can it and let's get them!" shouted Kittan. "Yoko's in there waiting for us! Let's go already!"

"We don't know that for sure..." muttered Kidd. All the same, the Brigade began advancing on Centrallio.

As Gurren Lagann blasted forward towards the courtyard near the prison entrance's large iron door, Kiyal felt a chill run down her spine. For a moment, the world stopped. Her hands gripped tighter on the controls, and she broke into a cold sweat. She didn't know what it was. Even as she urged the red Ganman forward, something else urged her to pull it back. Something instinctual, something primal, was telling her that something was about to happen.

Then time started forward again, and the Brigade proceeded unhindered.

Until a series of towers folded out from Centrallio.

They rose out, spiraling as they grew, a multitude of thin white towers. When they had finished growing, strange devices unfolded from the tops. Great metal barrels, ringed with red lines, extended outwards, and three strange rods folded out from behind each one. The rods crackled with ominous energy, arcs of lighting jumping between them.

The rods and the arcs of lighting formed circles that were eerily similar to the Charge Particle Cannon.

As one, the weapons turned towards the Brigade with precise, mechanical precision.

"Scatter!" yelled Simon; and, seizing control away from Kiyal again, he snapped Gurren Lagann out of the weapons' line of fire.

This proved to be ineffectual. The machines readjusted perfectly, and, perfectly synchronized, each one loosed a wave of red energy directly at the Brigade.

The spread was too wide, and at that range, impossible to dodge. In a last-ditch effort, Simon extended Gurren Lagann's protective field again. The energy beams crashed against the barrier, waves of red pulsing along and around it. Simon had extended the field too far, though, and it began to crack, pieces of it snapping and green dust flying before disappearing into thin air.

"No...you...DON'T!" Simon screamed, and, just as the field burst apart, he manifested a truly massive wide-area drill to shield the entire Brigade.

The beams pounded against the drill, forcing Simon back even as Gurren Lagann's levisphere flared like a miniature sun. Kiyal screamed as the drill, too, began to crack. Over the roaring of the energy beams, Simon's voice could be dimly heard shouting for the Brigade to retreat. The scattered Ganmen needed no orders, turning tail and jetting away as fast as possible, faster than was even safe, at speeds that could potentially rip their machines apart. In moments they were far away, hopefully far enough that they would survive. Behind them, though, lagged the twins, their mecha the slowest as usual. The two halves of the Twin Boukun struggled to get away, badly uncoordinated as neither pilot was used to piloting alone. Simon gritted his teeth and pushed all he had into Gurren Lagann, desperately willing it to hold together to buy time for them to escape.

Then the drill broke.

The barrage of laser fire shattered the drill into a million fragments, sending bits of metal flying. They then lanced forward, towards the fleeing Brigade.

Kittan hollered as a lance of red light gored his mecha's legs.

Kidd yelped as his other massive leg was shattered, and his support levisphere with it. Thankfully, Ainzer's large legs grabbed the head of the Kidd Knuckle and prevented it from falling into the ocean.

But the twins weren't fast enough. Red energy consumed them, engulfed them entirely.

After several seconds, the lasers thinned and dissipated entirely. The air still crackled with residual energy, but otherwise, it was as if the entire world stood still, shocked into a stunned silence. All that remained after the attack was a single red Ganman, burnt and smouldering. Its levisphere faltered, sputtered, and died completely, the green flame flickering out like a candle that has run out of oxygen to consume.

Simon felt his heart convulse painfully, and Lagann popped up from Gurren.

On cue, Gurren's many injuries manifested themselves. Scores and craters formed on the hull. The levisphere pack exploded, pushed far past its limit. The eyes and shades shattered.

Kiyal screamed as Gurren dropped like a brick.

Lagann fell, limp and lifeless, into the ocean below.

* * *

"Well what do you think, Ribo darling?" oiled Kuroko as she stared back from her monitor. Suddenly, all of her mini-screens vanished and were replaced with Ribo sitting on his chair, head bowed. His shoulders shuddered a little, a chuckle coming from the speakers.

"This proves it!" he hissed. He raised his head; he was smiling widely, and a strange gleam was in his eyes. "This was destiny! I am the heir to Lordgenome; I will pierce the heavens, not some tiny digger looking for fame! I could dance, I feel so elated!" He almost did, standing from his chair, but instead of dancing he pointed a finger at his own set of monitors.

"Only the best players win at this game, Simon the Digger. And in this game...you have _lost!_"

Yoko stood at the door to Kuroko's office, hiding slightly around the corner. Blood leaked form her lower lip where she had bitten it in order to prevent any sound from giving away her position. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

_'Jorgun…Balinbow…Simon…'_ She peeked through the door once more. Ribo sipped at a glass of wine, chuckling only sporadically, while Kuroko appeared to be utterly immersed in a set of blueprints, making changes and modifications.

_'So he thinks this is some sort of game, does he…'_ The redhead struggled not to scream. Heart torn in half, she stormed off to the firing range, feeling frustrated and useless. She hoped that imagining Ribo as one of the targets would ease her pain somewhat.

* * *

In the darkness, a Ganman skimmed along the surface of the water. It flew low, as close to the surface as possible, ignoring the possibility of underwater Ganmen in fear of other, more terrifying threats. As it flew along it scanned its surroundings, searching.

At length it came across a giant mechanical figure and a much smaller one floating along in the water. There was no shout, no exclamation of joy at this finding. Rather, the Ganman carefully picked up its target and lifted it off to a darker blot that hovered high in the sky.

The wrecks were gently and cautiously lowered onto the ship's deck. Before they had even touched down, teams of men had rushed out of the main hangar to greet them. They scrambled about it, stabilizing them, preparing stretchers, and striving to get them open. Eventually one cockpit was found and wrenched open. The other was carefully burned open with the use of small lasers. Two unmoving figures were pulled out and moved onto the stretchers. A slender man inspected them, checking them for damage. A girl ran out from the hangar, trying to reach one of the still forms, but was restrained by the man. At a wave of his hand the stretchers were wheeled back into the Dai-Gan's hangar, past a small group of shadows that waited solemnly. They followed the stretchers inside, and behind them, the other teams began working on the battered wreck of the Ganman that had been their motivation and inspiration.

* * *

Simon opened his eyes, and saw nothing. But it wasn't a dark nothing. It was a white nothing, like a white void, a blank canvas of non-existence.

Then his eyes adjusted, and he realized he was looking at the roof of the ship's infirmary.

At that, pain exploded against his skull. Every part of him ached, and then some. His mouth tasted the way it does when you haven't had a drink of water in forever. His lips felt dry and cracked. His head pounded with the worst headache he had ever felt.

Despite all this he sat up. Blinking around tears of pain, he looked around. In the next bed on his right there lay someone else; Zorthy, he realized after a few seconds. Sozoshin's chain-smoking pilot was breathing easily, as if he were only sleeping. Something seemed wrong, however. His form underneath the blankets looked...wrong. Simon dropped his gaze to his bedsheets, unwilling to comprehend any further.

"You're awake. And alive."

Simon turned his head in the other direction. At the door to the infirmary stood Leeron, arms crossed. Both his voice and his stance were uncharacteristically devoid of the energy and humour that normally seemed to fill him.

"Battered and beaten, but alive." The mechanic and doctor sat down at the edge of another bed. "Though I guess I really shouldn't be surprised."

Simon nodded dumbly.

"A thousand things could've gone wrong. Broken spine, broken neck, internal damage and bleeding, piercing from mechanical parts, brain injury...but nothing. Not even a fractured finger. You're either very lucky, or have one hell of a guardian angel."

Simon turned away, toward Zorthy again.

"Yes, he's sedated pretty heavily. I bet you can see why."

Simon moved his tongue around a bit and licked his lips. When his voice came out, it was crackly and uncertain.

"...Kiyal?"

"Behind that curtain." Leeron nodded to a curtain that cut off a portion of the infirmary. "Girls' side, you understand. She's pretty much in the same condition you are; bruised, but not broken. I think she'll wake up soon." Leeron sighed. "You two have been out for a couple days, though. Had us all scared sick. I had to put an IV in you."

Simon touched his arm and felt the tube running from his wrist. He followed it with his eyes, up to a plastic bag that hung from a hook.

He worked his tongue some more and swallowed. Leeron handed him some water in a paper cup, and he sipped at it gratefully. When he had finished, he spoke again, and this time his voice was clearer.

"Did you find them?"

"Who?" asked Leeron.

"You know who I'm talking about. Did you find them?"

Leeron shook his head.

"Nothing. Not even a scrap of metal."

Simon looked down into the empty paper cup. His fingers trembled, and the remaining dregs of water shivered at the bottom of the cup. His vision blurred again as tears flowed, running down his cheeks.

He roared in frustration and slammed his fist into the small table next to his bed. A vase of flowers that had been placed there toppled and smashed, spilling water and flowers all over the floor. Leeron stood silently as Simon burst out sobbing, clutching his hands to his face.

"I told them to stay behind. Those idiots…"

* * *

Less than a day later, Simon was up again. Aches and pains still plagued his body, but he was up.

His first action was to order Dayakka to stop the Dai-Gurren's limping retreat back to the mainland. His second was to call an emergency Brigade meeting.

There were more empty chairs than ever before. The few that remained sat in a somber silence, waiting for their leader to speak.

For several moments, Simon just looked at the new empty chairs. The two towards the end, the chairs that the twins had never been able to sit still in. Now they wouldn't have to endure it anymore. His focus shifted to one on the other side. Zorthy's chair, the chair that he'd never be able to sit in again.

He prepared himself to speak again. To address everyone's fears, to address the problems they faced. Kittan, Kidd, Iraak and Makken looked at him expectantly.

But before he could speak, he was interrupted as the door slammed open.

"You bastards thought you'd start without me, huh?" roared the intruder as he wheeled into the room.

"Zorthy?" gasped Kittan. "You're supposed to be in bed!"

"Decided I didn't want to miss this," the injured pilot proclaimed. "Besides, those bastards owe me a pair of legs."

Despite all the effort given to not look down, all eyes turned to look at the bandaged stumps that had once been Zorthy's legs. They had been severed completely, almost at the hip. Realizing their error, the Brigadiers quickly looked away, partly to try and be polite, but mostly because of the gut-wrenching grief they felt, thinking of what had been lost.

"Yeah, look at them, you sons of bitches!" growled Zorthy. "Look at them and remember why you're fighting! Why we're all fighting! Those douchebags aren't going to stop until we're dead! If you're thinking about retreating, then I'll come over there and beat the crap out of ya!"

"Good thing we're not planning on retreating," informed Simon. "But thanks for the motivation."

"Oh! Well...great!" said Zorthy, relieved. "So, when are we heading out?"

"We?" spluttered Iraak. "We? You can't pilot a Ganman!"

"Damn straight I can! If you think I'm going to sit back just 'cause I can't stand-!"

"Enough!" bellowed Simon. Instantly everything fell silent. He nodded and sat back in his chair.

"Zorthy can pilot if he wants to. End of story." He raised a hand to quiet the inevitable arguments. "End. Of. Story. Now let's get to what I really called you in for."

Zorthy rolled himself over to where his seat was. With one hand he leaned over and moved the chair away, then rolled his wheelchair in.

"By the way, has anyone got a smoke?" asked the chair-bound pilot. "I lost my last pack when my pockets were sliced off."

Six heads shook to indicate no. Zorthy crossed his arms and grumbled in annoyance.

"Zorthy's recent losses aside," said Simon bluntly, "we've sustained pretty heavy losses. I'm going to be up front about it, because we can't ignore what happened."

"Remember what you told Rossiu, Simon?" interrupted Kittan, slamming his fist on the table. "'Don't tell us those numbers,' I think you said."

Simon stared at him coldly. The blonde pilot reluctantly backed down, muttering "Bozo..."

"Let's start with the main Brigade. When we went into battle...Out of all of us, only Makken came out relatively unscathed. King Kittan took considerable damage, and lost a leg. Kidd Coega lost both legs. Ainzer suffered extensive damage to the internal systems due to the shockwave of that last attack. Gurren Lagann was pretty much totaled. Sozoshin lost half of its main body, and Zorthy was permanently injured. The twins..." Simon gulped, gathered his courage, and went on.

"The twins are dead."

A dead silence draped its dark folds over the assembled warriors. None of them had wanted to admit it. None of them wanted to remember what had been lost. But it had to be said. They had to be properly remembered.

"Furthermore," Simon continued after several moments, breaking the gloomy quiet. "Out of the new recruits we got when we left Littner, twenty survived, most of them injured in some way."

"That's not too bad, isn't it?" commented Iraak nervously, trying to alleviate the tension somewhat. "I mean, that's over double the number of us Brigadiers. More of them made it through than us."

"We started with over sixty."

Iraak fell back in his chair, crushed under the sheer weight of those numbers.

"While I'm ready to blame lack of experience for the...loss...of the recruits, we didn't have that excuse." Simon looked about at his brothers in arms. "What do you think caused our losses?"

"The new units," said Makken gruffly. "They caught us off-guard. And they had new weapons."

"I think so too," agreed Simon. "Their technology was too advanced. We couldn't keep up. I don't know about the rest of you, but stuff like that was impossible for me to imagine until a few days ago."

The Brigade shivered, remembering the awesome might of the energy cannons that had finally brought them down.

"That said, we have some good news. Leeron's been at work analyzing the sword Makken brought back, and he thinks we'll be able to make more of them for ourselves. He says he still doesn't know about the shields or the cannons, but it's a start. When we attack again, we'll have the swords at least."

"Why even bother?" moaned Kidd. He had his head in his hands, and shuddered in despair. "We can't get through those cannons. They'll destroy us! Look at what they did to Jorgun and Balinbow! We'll all end up like them! It's impossible!"

"You cowardly bastard!" yelled Kittan, standing and pulling Kidd up by the scruff of his neck. "Do I have to remind you what our motto is?"

"It's just words!"

"KICK LOGIC OUT AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Kittan in Kidd's face. "THAT'S THE DAI-GURREN WAY!"

"Sit the hell down, Kittan!" shouted Simon, and the eldest Bachika threw his teammate back down in his chair before sitting down himself. Simon's fingers twitched nervously; he was beginning to lose control, and that wasn't good. He quickly calmed himself before continuing.

"Sometimes, a digger finds a rock he can't break. Or maybe it's just too dangerous to break." He looked Kidd in the eyes, daring him to speak up. "But that doesn't mean it's impossible to keep going. Sometimes, you just have to dig around it."

"And how to you suggest we do that, Mr. Digger?" asked Zorthy skeptically. "Because, you know, it's kind of hard to dig anywhere when you're _surrounded by water_."

"You must have forgotten our battle with the General Adiane," answered Makken coolly. "Simon has dug through water before."

"And I'll do it again," promised the digger. "I'll dig through the water, and I'll break into Centrallio from below."

"You're insane!" said Kiyal, standing up with her hands on the table, concern evident on her face. "Ribo's definitely got that place secured tight, both above and below the water!"

"Then I'll go down farther than he has defenses."

"The water pressure will crush you!"

"No, it won't." Simon crossed his arms. "Kiyal, stop this. You know I can make it. I'll drill right down into the seafloor if I have to; nothing can stop me when I'm digging."

"This might sound cliché, but...then let me go with you!"

"No."

"Why?"

"Understand this. It's not a matter of danger." Simon bowed his head respectfully. "You're a warrior, like me. We've chosen to live our lives out in constant danger, and you've been doing this longer than I have. I wouldn't keep you behind just because I thought it was too dangerous." He lifted his head. "But this time, I have to keep you out of danger, because you're not just a warrior anymore. You're the Brigade's interim leader."

Kiyal was stunned.

"I need somebody to lead Dai-Gurren while I'm gone. Once I've disabled the laser cannons from the inside, I need somebody to lead them in the counterattack. And, in the case I don't...I need somebody to take over."

"Simon...I'm not ready."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not!" Kiyal's eyes shone with fright. "I can't lead them. Especially if you...die. I'm not a leader, Simon. I've followed Kittan, I've followed you, but I've never wanted to lead. I can't take that responsibility. Accept it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you, but if this is what you want...All right. Kittan will be the interim leader. But you're still not coming."

"Again, why?" Kiyal's voice trembled with frustration. "Why are you so hell-bent on keeping me away?"

"Because I have to do this alone." He shook his head. "I don't know why. But that's the way it is."

"Dammit, Simon!" Kiyal slammed the table and sat down again in anger. "I know I can't change your mind, but...you're such a bozo sometimes!"

"Truly your brother's sister..." muttered Simon with a smile. Kiyal looked at him strangely, but he didn't repeat his thought.

"Dai-Gurren, get some rest," ordered the young commander. "Tomorrow I'm going in, and I want you to be ready to attack when you get the signal."

The Brigade filed out and headed off to the sleeping quarters to do just what they had been told to do. Each head was a stew pot of thoughts and opinions regarding what was going on, but no one spoke a word.

The only common thought was that, come the morrow, their fates would be decided for certain.

* * *

"I'm sorry I forgot you," apologized Simon to Dayakka.

"That's okay," replied Dai-Gurren's captain. "I knew about the meeting, but I was busy anyways."

"Busy? How?"

"I was with Kiyoh, helping take care of the recruits. We took a real beating."

"I know." Once again, Simon felt that heavy feeling in his heart. "But it isn't something we haven't faced before."

"I know that," sighed Dayakka. "But everyone's feeling tired. No, make that exhausted. A lot of us want to give up."

"But we won't," added Simon quickly. "We'll never give up."

"I know that," said the captain. "Stubbornness is kind of the only thing we all have in common."

The two leaders laughed together.

"Say, mind taking over for a bit?" asked Dayakka. "I want to go be with the Kiyoh. In the engine room. You know, helping repair the engines and stuff?"

"I understand," said Simon understandingly. "Brigade leader and Captain, though? I'm not sure I need another set of responsibilities."

Dayakka chuckled and assured him it was only temporary before rushing into the lift and rushing down to the engineering deck.

Simon smiled for his friend. He understood well indeed.

* * *

The sun rose again, the seventh day since the Brigade's staggering defeat at Centrallio. Rays of sunlight skipped and played along the surface of the ocean, turning it into a gleaming spectacle of light.

Above it floated Dai-Gurren, and on its deck waited the Brigade, prepared to begin the counterattack.

"We have to succeed today," warned Leeron to the assembled Brigade. "They've almost certainly sent for reinforcements, and if they get here before we're done, we're doomed."

"Don't worry," said Simon confidently. "I'll be done in there before the day is up, and by tomorrow morning, Centrallio will be ours."

"And Yoko will be free," added Kittan.

"Hopefully," corrected the Brigade's leader. He looked at his assembled troops, feeling that hope fill his chest.

"Wish me luck."

Unceremoniously, Lagann dropped over the Dai-Gurren's edge, falling faster and faster before disappearing beneath the waves with a distant splash.

"Did you seriously forget to send reinforcements?" Enzai glared at his liege through the monitor, frustration welling up in him.

"I was too caught up in the moment, and I forgot. What does it matter anyway? We have the HELCs now, and Centrallio still has Ganmen in reserve."

The massive Spiral Knight growled, low in his throat.

"Now, now. Don't be rude, Enzai Golgi!" Clora's face invaded the screen from the left edge. "You just might get reprimanded."

"My liege, I must insist!" the hulking Knight practically spat. "Sending reinforcements is of the utmost priority!"

"All right, fine." Ribo opened another channel and gave some orders. "There. They're off."

"What were you thinking...?" Enzai palmed his forehead. "What if they attacked?"

"We have the HELCs now, like I said. They can't get in."

"It's still just sound strategic sense. Have you forgotten everything Mito taught you?"

"I was too caught up in the joy of victory, like I said. Now I have business to attend to."

The screen winked out, but not before Clora was able to make a face at her fellow knight.

Enzai put his hands to his head, his elbows resting on the Dai-Gantei's control console. Between his Emperor, the other Knights, and being cooped up in Dai-Gantei, he thought he might very well go insane.

* * *

In the darkness, a pair of fluffy pointed ears perked up.

The twitched back and forth, trying to pick up a faint sound that disturbed the pervasive silence that had been existence for longer than their owner cared to remember.

Night and day were nonexistent in the inky-black void, but the owner of the ears was still capable of keeping a somewhat-accurate count of the days as they rolled past. According to that account, it had been an exciting week - first, the sounds and smells of battle, something that was more than familiar. Something that hadn't been smelled in ages. And now, this.

At the thought of smell, a nose snuffled, trying to gain some sense of what was happening. The only thing it smelled was the same non-smell it had smelled for years. So, the new disturbance wasn't another battle. But then, what was it.

Suddenly, the nose was hit with a wave of new smells. The distinct aroma of freshly turned earth rolled forward across the darkness, immersing everything in its perfume. At the same time, the ears were assaulted with the sound of a kind of explosion, as if the ground had suddenly burst like a ripe fruit. The sound broke the silence violently and cruelly, making the owner of the ears flinch in shock.

Laced in the cloud of earth-scent, however, were other scents. The most prominent among them was the smell of human sweat. At this realization, the nose twitched, and the ears stood straight up. An interested eye opened, golden and slit like a cat's, curious as to whether or not this new event would bring an end to the darkness as well as the silence and the non-smell.

As if on cue, light erupted into the chamber. At first the eye was blinded by the sudden change. Soon, however, it adjusted, and widened at the curious sight beheld.

Buried halfway in the dirt was a strange machine, like a Ganman but smaller. Standing up from inside it was a figure, clad in blue, with a shock of dark hair. The figure's back was turned to the owner of the ears, eyes and nose, but that was almost preferable, as it provided a sight that caused the owner's interest to reach levels that would have otherwise been unattainable.

Emblazoned on the back of the figure was a red, flaming skull, bearing a pair of angular black shades.

A mouth stretched into an amused smirk, revealing a row of sharp, pointed teeth.

"Who are you, boy, to be wearing my emblem...?"

**And that's chapter 10. Truly one of 1 over 0's longest works. Next chapter will be written up by me.**


	11. The Ballroom Blitz Part 3

_Explosions ripped through the air. Smoke billowed into the sky in dirty grey clouds. The earth trembled with the might of gods._

_A caped figure staggered across the desert, clutching an arm that was obviously broken in a terrible way, pieces of white sticking out from the blood-drenched sleeve._

_"Dammit, dammit, dammit..." grunted the Beastwoman, clutching at her stomach in pain. Blood leaked out between her fingers, dripping down to the hard, dry ground._

_"I know it won't kill me, but...damn it hurts. Bastards musta put something in that last attack...I'm supposed to heal faster than this..."_

_She gasped as her leg collapsed under her, sending her sprawling to the dirt. The pain made her grit her teeth, but she had been trained to take such abuse, and she quickly continued dragging herself away from the battle._

_"Guess he didn't want me running away, so he takes away the gift he gave me...haha...Bastard." She chuckled bitterly to herself._

_Suddenly, she became aware of another presence. Looking up, she saw a pair of dirty, shoeless feet. Lifting herself off of the ground slightly, she looked up into the frightened face of a human child._

_"I...I'm sorry!" blubbered the child. "I didn't...please don't hurt me!"_

_The Beastwoman smiled, amused by the child's reaction._

_"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Like hell I could, in my condition..."_

_The child crouched down and looked her in the eyes. Red eyes peaked out curiously from under a wild fringe of blue hair._

_"I trust you. Your eyes aren't lying."_

_"Of course they aren't! I'm not some backstabbing traitor! I face life head-on, and deal with the details later!"_

_"Gee, that sounds hard."_

_"You get used to it after a while."_

_There was another round of explosions. The Beastwoman's face flickered with worry. They would be after her soon. If only she'd been able to get to her Ganman...hell, she should have just lived in the cockpit, for all the good it would have done._

_"Lady? What's wrong?"_

_In that moment, the Beastwoman felt pity for the lonely, probably orphaned child. Thinking quickly, she came up with a plan._

_"Listen to me, kid," she began. "It's not safe here. If you stay here, you'll die."_

_"So where do I go?" He seemed strangely unconcerned._

_"There's another village, somewhere east from here. That's..." She lifted herself up and pointed. "...Thataway. Just keep running until you see something that looks like smoke. Go there, and drop down the hole. You'll end up in the village."_

_"But what about you?"_

_"Me? Ha! I'm a goner. But you know..."_

_She took her unbroken arm and unclasped the red cape that hung about her neck, and handed it to the boy._

_"Fuck Lordgenome. He isn't getting this back. And..."_

_She reached over to her broken arm and unclasped a bracelet, from which dangled a tiny skull._

_"Take this too. Another gift from an asshole. Or a bitch, in this case."_

_"But, Lady. I can't leave you...you might die."_

_"Me? Die?" There was another round of bitter laughter. "I can't die, kid. Not here. Maybe not anywhere."_

_"But that's impossible."_

_She showed her teeth in a crooked, pained smile._

_"Kick reason to the curb and do the impossible. That's the Gurren way, get it?"_

* * *

"But it's been almost fifty years, I think. You can't possibly be that boy."

"What?" The boy in question turned around, lights from his eyes lighting up the room. "Who's that?"

"Up here, kid."

The boy turned his gaze upwards, towards the source of the sound.

High up on the wall was a Beastwoman, arms spread and blonde hair messy and long. She was pinned there by a multitude of metal spikes and chained at various points on her arms, legs, waist and neck.

"Who...who are you?" asked the boy, somewhat frightened by this revelation.

"_Che_, that settles it. You're not him. You got the hair but not the eyes." She closed her eyes. "I'm just another prisoner here. You here to free me, or what?"

"Prisoner...?"

"What, these didn't clue you in?" She gestured with her head towards the bloody metal spikes. "What were you expecting? Some kind of three-headed, winged monster?"

"Well..." The rest of the boy's sentence was cut short as he sneezed. He wiped his nose and shivered, suddenly realizing how cold it was.

"You think this is cold? You should feel it when the cold currents pass through here in the fall! Or, at least, I think it's in the fall. Can't really tell without any trees around." The Beastwoman let out a barking laugh, amused at her own humour.

Simon panned his gaze around the room, suddenly noticing his surroundings. Other than the hole he had created, the room was completely featureless metal, except for a door set into the far wall.

"Well? You going to free me or what?" the Beastwoman demanded, clearly becoming impatient. "If you're not, I'd like to go back to my decades-long nap."

The boy stared at her, still stunned by her existence. This had not been what he had expected when he planned to break in. Eventually he shook off his surprise and addressed her.

"I'm Simon! Simon the Digger!" announced the boy. "Who are you, and why should I free you?"

"Well, the digger part is evident at least..." grumbled the Beastwoman before raising her voice to call back. "I thought we went over this already. I'm a prisoner. Not only am I a prisoner, I'm a high-security one who obviously pissed off someone at the top of the food chain. Now what does that tell you?"

"Umm...that you're a prisoner?"

"No," sighed the Beastwoman in frustration, clenching her sharp teeth. "It means I'm dangerous and on _your side_."

"How does that work?"

"You're a human breaking into a heavily fortified prison. You're clearly a rebel."

"Yeah, but...then are you a rebel too? But you're a Beastman. Woman."

"You know, I'd like to take this moment to slam the palm of my head into my forehead, but oh wait that's right..._my arms are pinned to the wall_."

"You're kind of a rude one."

The beastwoman rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Thank you for stating the obvious yet again. Now free me. Preferably now. Start with the sharp pieces of metal placed within my limbs."

Simon took a moment to consider her offer. Everything she said was true, even if it had taken him a while to process it all. If she was as powerful as she implied...

"All right, I'll free you," decided Simon out loud.

"Oh thank God Almighty in Heaven even though it's been proven that He doesn't exist."

"Who's God?"

"Shut up and get pulling, brat."

Simon grumbled at her rudeness, but complied. He activated Lagann's booster, allowing him to hover up to her level. He reached out with Lagann's hands and grasped one of the spikes, embedded in her left wrist.

"Are you sure this is a good idea...?"

"Yes! Do I have to say it again? PULL!"

Simon moved the controls, and Lagann pulled.

The spike came free with a disturbing sucking noise. As it slid out of the arm a gout of blood spurted out, coating the spike anew and splattering Lagann's face.

"Ah! You're bleeding!" gasped Simon in a panicky tone.

"Quit freaking out, kid," reprimanded the Beastwoman. "See? It's already healing."

Simon looked, and, to his surprise, what she said was true. In front of his eyes the bleeding abruptly stopped, the flesh knit itself back together, and just like that it was as if the spike had never been there.

"Ooh, that's nice," sighed the Beastwoman, closing her eyes in pleasure and moving her wrist experimentally.

"What...what was that?"

"Free me first," said the Beastwoman. "Then maybe I'll tell you."

His interest piqued, Simon removed the rest of the spikes. One in each wrist, one in each ankle, and two more in each limb made for a total of twelve spikes. When the last one clanged against the floor, he drew Lagann back and admired the Beastwoman's lack of obvious injury.

"Should I get those, too?" he asked, pointing to the chains that still kept her against the wall.

"Nah, I'll get those myself," answered the Beastwoman. "A strapping hard-working young man like you deserves a break. And besides, I'd like to test my strength."

Exhaling, she relaxed her arms and legs. Then her whole body tensed, the muscles in her arms and legs straining with effort. With a snapping noise her restraints suddenly burst out of the wall, the metal tearing under the force enacted upon it. Bits of metal flew at Lagann, causing Simon to duck down instinctually. Meanwhile, the Beastwoman fell the full ten metres to the floor, landing on one knee with catlike grace.

She unfolded and stood up straight, looking up at Simon. She smiled and saluted thankfully. He stared at her in awe, his interest engaged in full, wondering who and what she really was. As he went through a thousand possibilities in his mind, she began walking towards the door.

...And fell flat on her face.

"Ow! Dammit!" she swore, sitting up and rubbing her nose. "That hurt!"

Simon laughed as he brought Lagann back to ground level.

"Can it, pipsqueak!" snapped the Beastwoman. "You try being crucified to a wall for fifty years, then we'll see how well you'll be able to walk!"

Simon's laughter faded to quiet chuckles.

"I'm just out of practice, is all..." she grumbled, hauling herself back to her feet.

Simon fought back more laughter as the Beastwoman stumbled across the room as if she were completely hammered. Soon enough, however, she recovered herself, and strode purposefully towards the door at the other end. Simon put Lagann into a jog to catch up.

"Where are you going?" asked Simon.

"Out of here, that's where," replied the Beastwoman curtly. "I mean, we _are_ supposed to be breaking out of here, right?"

"Actually...I didn't come to bust you out."

The Beastwoman stopped abruptly. She whirled around to face Simon.

"What?"

"Well, if I wanted to just rescue you, then I would have just dug us both out of here."

With no metal spikes to restrain her, the Beastwoman slammed the palm of her hand into her forehead, hard. "Then why _are_ you here?"

"I actually came to break up the fortress from the inside. Specifically, deactivate the automatic defences."

The Beastwoman muttered to herself before sighing.

"Well, I've got some things to pick up anyway..." she grumbled. "And you won't have a snowball's chance in any other Hell without my help."

She continued her walk to the door. Upon closer inspection, the door was made out of solid metal, and didn't appear to have any control mechanism.

"Figures I wouldn't be so lucky..." she complained. Without even a pause, she slammed her fist into the door. To Simon's amazement, her arm punched straight through, the metal shrieking in protest.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed.

"Kid, you're _really_ easy to impress," the Beastwoman commented. She rooted around in the hole she had made for several seconds before finding what she was looking for. She removed her arm, and the door slid open with a narrow hiss, only opening partway because of the damage to it. The Beastwoman slid through into a cylindrical, metal chamber. Simon barely managed to squeeze Lagann in behind to her. She punched a button, and Simon realized the chamber was an elevator just as it began to rise with the whirr and clunk of machinery.

The two stood silent for a while as the elevator continued ascending. During this time, Simon finally got the opportunity to examine the strange Beastwoman up close. She was quite tall, and well muscled, despite her claims of decades-long imprisonment. She also didn't _look_ to be anything over thirty; her hair was indeed quite long, as though it hadn't been cut in a while, but there wasn't even a speck of grey hidden among the golden blonde. In a display of true adolescent lack of self-control, Simon's eyes went downwards, to her chest area. She definitely wasn't lacking in _that_ department, he decided quickly. Suffice to say, they were larger than anything he had ever seen, and given that he hung out with Kiyoh and Yoko, this was really saying something. He drew back, less in respect for her propriety, than because he was afraid that he would suffocate if he leaned forward any farther. Her shirt didn't help any, either; it barely qualified as a tank top, and parts of it were practically worn through. Her pants, too, were precariously thin, showcasing her muscled legs quite nicely, and fromn the back protruded a fluffy golden tail.

Simon swallowed and blushed, looked away, and decided to break the silence.

"So, uh...what's your name?"

"Aumuna," replied the Beastwoman without looking at him, her attention clearly elsewhere. "Aumuna Syndras. Shit, probably shouldn't have given you my last name. Oh well."

"Aumuna...Syndras. Who are you?"

"Nobody."

"That's a lie."

"Of course it is. It wouldn't be a very effective deception if it weren't."

They stood silently again for a while.

"Oh, yeah, I should probably mention," said Aumuna casually, leaning against the wall and looking at her fingernails disinterestedly. "You're probably wondering why we haven't seen any guards, right?"

"I guess?"

"Well, that's because they couldn't find any guards with the balls to actually stay in the same room as me." She gave Simon a feral grin, showing rows of pointed teeth. The elevator began to slow, the machinery humming as it decreased in speed.

"We're about to walk into a room filled with all the heavily-armed guards that _should_ have been looking after me personally. Stay on your toes, now."

Not waiting for the door to open, Aumuna kicked it and, despite the fact that it was a sliding door, it blew outwards and flew across the room, flying into the head of one unsuspecting Beastman guard. Several dozen others whirled about at the sound, guns pointing towards the ruins of the elevator door.

The mysterious Aumuna Syndras strode out into the guardroom, cracked her knuckles, and prepared to deliver the line she'd been waiting over fifty years to say.

* * *

"Let us dance."

Ribo said it like it was an order, not a request. He extended his hand elegantly, clearly expecting to be obeyed.

Yoko hardly wanted to engage in such a close physical activity with the man who had killed her friends. However, she had little choice under the circumstances, given that he had brought along a pair of armed guards. The bitch in the green pigtails had shown up too, though, and Yoko thought it an excellent opportunity to spite her.

Ribo was dressed in a fine uniform befitting of his status as Emperor, purple with golden laniards and medals of varying colours in addition to his crown.

Yoko, on the other hand, was decked out in a long white dress that Ribo had specially chosen for the occasion. It was full of frills and pretty red lace and flowed all the way down past her feet. It seemed to her that the chest area was too tight, though, as her cleavage seemed to billow out over top of it. Her hair was done up rather nicely, and the Beastwoman maids had opted to coat her face in "make-up" whatever the hell that was. Altogether she looked quite stunning, like something out of a fairytale that she had once read.

Of course she hated it, all of it.

She grudgingly took hold of Ribo's proffered hand. The Beastman band in the corner of the ballroom immediately took to their instruments, stirring up a slow melody to accompany their dance. As the music filled the chamber, Ribo and Yoko began their flowing, twirling accompaniment.

Ribo was clearly well versed when it came to dancing, as was obvious from the moment they began. Yoko wasn't used to moving so gracefully, with such unnecessary twirls and fancy footwork, but she'd busted her ass for weeks trying to learn the proper steps and, dammit, she wasn't about to let Ribo see her slip up. Once she started thinking of it as a personal competition against her captor, it took little effort for her to keep up.

"Very good. I see my lessons have paid off," complimented the young emperor, giving an amusing smile.

Yoko grunted, unable to spare any concentration to give a proper reply.

"I must say, I was skeptical when Mito first suggested it. A cavern-dwelling human, learning the intricacies of the sciences and arts? And yet, here we are. You'll make a much better bride now, just as he said. I underestimated you, Lady Ritona."

Yoko ignored most of what he said. She'd learned to ignore most of his bullshit about "brides" and "heirs" and "Nucleotypes". The part about Mito she kept, though, sticking it at the back of her mind where she stuck important things that she thought she should remember. Mito was one of the Spiral Knights...and the one who had given her an education. She had to remember his name.

"If only that digger...Shimon? No, Simon, could see you now. I'm sure he couldn't dance to save his life." He grinned sadistically and chuckled. "Oh, my that's right. What an unfortunate turn of phrase, considering _he's dead now_."

Yoko gaped at him, struck dumb by the sheer arrogance of it.

She couldn't take it. She couldn't handle any more of the arrogance, of the stupidity, of the blind egoism...She just couldn't take it. The unbelievable insensitivity of casually dropping news like that, even though she had already known, even though she had expected it, was the snapping point for all of her frustrations.

She slapped him.

Ribo spun away, a stunned look on his face. The music ground to a screeching halt, the band looking at each other nervously, uncertain of what to do next. Clora gasped audibly.

"You bastard!" spluttered Yoko, her breath coming in angry gasps. She reached into her dress and pulled out the knife she had carefully sharpened to a deadly point. "I'll kill you!" The Emperor did not respond, still feeling his stinging check.

"You hit me..." was all Ribo could say at first. Then, "You hit me!"

Yoko just snarled and lunged at her captor, knife-first.

Ribo acted almost on instinct. Faster than Yoko expected, he sidestepped, flowing past the attacking redhead. Then, almost negligently, he threw out a leg and tripped her. Yoko hit the floor and rolled, careful not to stab herself with the knife. She came up again on one knee, ready to stab Ribo until he was a bloody mess.

But he wasn't there. She threw her gaze to the left and right, looking for him. Then she gasped as two cold fingers pressed on the side of her head from behind her.

Her body jolted, and a flash of green flared before her eyes. She was out cold before she even hit the floor.

* * *

The wolf-Beastman guard thudded to the floor. He twitched once, twice, blood squirting out from the severed arteries in his ruined, mutilated neck.

Above him, Aumuna Syndras casually licked the blood off of her clawed fingers.

Behind her, several dozen other guards leaked red all over the guardroom.

Behind them, one terrified digger stared, eyes wide, at the results of seven minutes of slaughter.

"You...you killed them," he said in an almost-whisper. "All of them."

"Yeah, what of it?" stated the Beastwoman nonchalantly. "There weren't that many of them." She leaned down and picked up the guard's rifle, and tested it. "Looks like they weren't outfitted with whatever weapons Lordgenome used to take me down the first time." She spat out an offending bullet that had caught her in the mouth. "Lucky me."

"You...I..." Simon spluttered. "Did you have to...?"

Aumuna blinked at him for a second, then gave an understanding grunt.

"Oh, I see. You're not surprised at the _level_ of carnage. It's the carnage _itself_." She sighed and rolled her shoulder, a bullet popping out as she did so. "What kind of rebel are you? You haven't even killed anybody before?"

"Well...yes..." Simon thought of the number of Ganmen he had shot down. He couldn't come up with even a rough estimate. But those had been Ganmen. He hadn't seen the pilots, burned, crushed, mutilated, snuffed out in an instant by his and his comrades' weapons. He'd never thought of them as being piloted by people. He flashed back to his fight with Lordgenome, the one time he had ever fought somebody in person. It was all a violent blur, in retrospect.

"Then get over yourself!" ordered Aumuna. "You'll be killing plenty more if you want to get anything done. Hell, you might even work your way up to making yourself a list of people you_want_ to kill. I know I got a couple of bastards I'd like to maim, burn, or otherwise injure."

She went about the room, looting the corpses for ammunition and weapons. After having loaded up considerably, she turned to leave. Then, unexpectedly, she whirled about and pointed a finger at the dumbstruck digger.

"Listen up, Shimo - I mean Simon! You can't win a war with that kind of flimsy attitude! We're here to win, and nothing else!" Her eyes burned with passion. "It's kill or be killed! Every enemy you take down is one less bastard intent on killing you, your best friend, your mother, your father, your little sister, your baby brother, and your next-door neighbour! Do you want all of them dead?" She shook her head. "No! You have to be realistic! Can we avoid hurting everyone? Can we take away their weapons? Can we talk them into submission? _No!_ Not in this world! The Spiral King won't rest until they're all dead, you and your rebel friends! By coming up to the surface, you made a decision you can't take back! Fight proudly or die disgracefully, those are your options now! And if you can't fight, then I'll end your misery here and now!"

The Beastwoman stared him in the eye, daring him to say otherwise. Simon stared back, his fear oddly fading. Something about what she said, the way she said it, reminded him of...

She suddenly nodded in satisfaction, deciding that he wasn't going to take her up on her offer. She whirled about and prepared to stride out and face the hordes ahead.

Then a sealed door with the label "STORAGE" caught her eye.

She marched over to it and kicked it. The metal door burst inwards like a crumpled piece of tin foil.

"What are you doing?" asked Simon curiously.

"The good stuff is always kept in the side rooms!" said Aumuna cheerfully. Then, "Holy crap, they actually kept them?"

Simon moved Lagann over to see what was going on. Then Aumuna jumped out, brandishing a pair of twin blades, longer than her arm. One was hilted in a fiery red, and the other an icy blue.

"Oh, yes!" she exulted, spinning them expertly. "Still in good condition! I knew that chest had something good in it! Chests always have the good stuff."

"Swords?" uttered Simon confusedly.

"Not just any pair of swords!" She grinned happily and caressed them gently, holding them close. "They're Diamond's Edge and Hellfire's Fury, or Shiva and Ifrit as I like to call them."

"So, one's fire, and the other's ice?"

"Nah, they're pretty much the same. I just thought the names sounded cool." She purred as she fondled the handle of the red-hilted one lovingly. "This bad boy and his sister have seen me through just about everything. I thought they'd been melted down. I wonder..."

She dashed back in. When she re-emerged, the swords were strapped to her waist in a pair of beautiful scabbards, one on each side.

"I don't know who decided to keep these," she said, "but I owe them big time. Providing they aren't dead of course." She whirled around again and marched towards the door.

"Things are going to get pretty hairy from here on out," she called over her shoulder as she left. "Consider picking up a gun or something. It's not like there'll be racks of weapons lining the walls of this place..."

* * *

Yoko woke gently, as if she had only been sleeping. For a moment she thought she was in her room on Dai-Gurren again, and she'd have to get up and help Simon plan the next attack, the attack on Ribo's army, that would end the war...

Then her eyes snapped open, and she remembered that she wasn't on Dai-Gurren.

She flung herself up into a sitting position and stared about wildly. She hadn't even moved from the ballroom. But it wasn't as she remembered it. The band was gone, and there were, oddly enough, several weapon racks scattered about the room.

A quick glance downward revealed that she had been changed. The annoyingly heavy ball gown had been replaced with her familiar, comfortable bikini and minishorts. Somebody had changed her in her sleep, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that.

"I see you're awake."

Looking around to the source of the voice revealed Ribo, standing in the corner of the room, arms crossed. He too had changed his outfit, into a utilitarian pair of grey pants and a plain, white shirt. He appeared to be engaged in pulling a pair of gloves onto his hands. Yoko couldn't tell what was going on, and that frightened her.

"Your outburst during our dance was...most unpleasant." There was a tightness to his voice, as if he were trying, with some difficulty, to hold something back. Finishing with his gloves, he turned to her, and Yoko found out what it was. Though his face was impassive as he looked down at her, a barely restrained fury burned deep within his cold, green eyes.

"I believe your lessons have given you some degree of confidence. As such, I believe it prudent to give you a very special lesson."

Yoko rose to her feet, slowly, as if she expected Ribo to break at any moment. She was afraid to take her eyes off of him.

"I'm not one to patronize my students, however. During this special lesson, you will have access to many materials. Such as these." He waved his hands to the various weapons around the room. "Also, I will refrain from using any of my abilities beyond that of an ordinary _human_." He practically spat the word. "Only these." He raised a hand and curled it into a fist, and the glove around it stretched audibly. "In essence, we will be equals, you and I. And as you will see..."

He flung his arm out for emphasis, and his face shifted into a scowl, his eyes narrowing.

"I will still be _better than you._"

Yoko backed away, towards the nearest rack of potential defensive items.

"You have twenty seconds to choose your weapon. Go."

Despite her fear of turning her back to him, Yoko scrambled to the weapon rack. There were no guns, obviously, as that would completely ruin Ribo's little game. That is, if he was still thinking of it as a game. Or perhaps, he now thought of himself as the referee, penalizing a player.

Yoko pushed aside the distracting train of thought and tested the edges of some of the bladed weapons with her thumb. They were sharp, strangely enough; she hadn't expected Ribo to give her any sort of advantage. She wasn't as well versed with regular weapons as she was with guns, but that didn't mean she was untrained. And, she figured, she could improvise to fill in the gaps.

"Time's up. _En garde._"

Yoko quickly snatched up a short, double-edged sword and whirled just in time to block Ribo's opening attack. He moved fast, covering the length of the ballroom in mere seconds to strike at Yoko with a clenched fist. Yoko couldn't get her sword up in time to block and instead used her other arm, her left shoulder creaking under the impact. Batting away Ribo's arm, she brought up her sword to stab. The young Emperor leaped away before she could get him, springing back towards the centre of the room.

"Have it your way," growled the redhead, her rage suddenly flaring. "I've been itching to kill you for weeks, and if you're going to give me the chance, I'll gladly take it!"

The war would be over. It would be over in _minutes_. And, most importantly, the little bastard would be _dead_.

She reached around and grabbed a second sword. She charged, swinging them at Ribo.

He was thoroughly unimpressed. Ducking under one slash, he parried the next with his left arm while striking with his right. Yoko was sent skidding across the polished marble dance floor. She coughed several times, trying to regain the wind Ribo had knocked out of her.

"You see?" said the young Emperor coldly. "You are no match for me. Submit yourself to the will of your master."

"Always with the same bullshit..." grunted Yoko. "Whoever said that you were better than humans? 'Cause they _lied!_"

Ribo said nothing, but fell back into a fighting stance.

Yoko rushed him again, but this time, she was smarter. Instead of attacking head-on, she feinted, causing Ribo to react to nothing. She used the opening to strike with both swords, scissoring at Ribo's head.

...Where Ribo's head should have been. But he had disappeared. Sensing something above her, she looked up just in time to see Ribo crashing down from above. She ducked out of the way as Ribo came down fist-first, missing her by a hair. The strike caused cracks to spider out across one of the tiles. Suddenly she remembered how Nia had managed to split the watermelon in one blow. At the moment, it was a strangely chilling memory.

In any case, Yoko wasn't one to waste an opportunity, and she lashed out again, hoping to damage Ribo before he could counter. But, using the hand on the floor for leverage, Ribo spun and kicked her, sending her flying again. This time she hit the floor hard close to one of the weapon racks, losing hold of her swords, which skittered across the floor.

"No Nucleotype powers? That's bullshit!" yelled Yoko angrily. She climbed to her feet.

Ribo was already there, winding up for another punch. She dove out of the way and rolled as a portion of the wooden rack was turned to splinters. Yoko retreated towards another rack, Ribo chasing after her. Reaching the rack, she pulled out a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"Now this, I can use!" she exulted, remembering the bow she'd used for hunting before they'd let her handle a rifle. She scrambled backwards to gain some distance while drawing an arrow back. As the feathers brushed against her cheek, she desperately tried to remember those days she'd spent pegging flying raccoon-squirrels with tiny wooden arrows.

She let the arrow fly. It zipped towards Ribo, faster than she could see.

But apparently not faster than Ribo could see, because he flicked out an arm and deflected it into the wall, where it shattered.

"Oh, come on!" Yoko cried. She loosed arrow after arrow while trying to keep her distance from Ribo. Eventually, however, he closed in on her, and she was forced to block another punch with her bow. It snapped in two, leaving Yoko with two broken pieces of wood attached by a piece of string. Thinking quickly, she whipped it out like a makeshift flail, hitting Ribo in the arm. It came back around, and she whipped it out again, trying to catch his neck with the string. Ribo caught it and pulled, dragging the other end out of her hand. Yoko reached over and pulled down another weapon rack to slow Ribo down as she retreated again.

"Such cheap tricks will not stop me," he intoned, stepping over the mess of various weapons.

"I wasn't really counting on it..." muttered the redhead. Reaching yet another rack, she searched it for a suitable weapon. Ribo was growing closer, slowly, as if he were toying with her.

"To hell with it!" she yelled, frustrated. She picked up a random knife and tossed it at Ribo. It spun end over end at the young emperor, aiming for his heart.

He simply raised an arm and deflected it. With a metallic ring it spun off, shattering against the wall.

"Oh, what the hell! Now you're just cheating!" called Yoko angrily.

Ribo rolled up his sleeve, revealing a metallic arm guard strapped to his forearm. He dropped the sleeve again and regarded Yoko in an eerie, emotionless way.

"You didn't think I would give you all the advantage, did you?" he said, as if he were stating that it was rainy out. "You bitch."

Yoko was temporarily caught off-guard, but quickly recovered. She pulled a spear out from the rack and calmly levelled it at Ribo.

"You rat bastard," she said, just as calmly, and charged.

It didn't work, of course. She hadn't expected it to work. Ribo sidestepped and grabbed the haft of the spear, wrenching it out of her grasp. Yoko had anticipated this. She dodged his counter by ducking and rolling around him, towards the pile of weapons she had scattered earlier. She grabbed the first thing she could find, a ludicrously long claymore, and pulled it with her as she got back to her feet.

"OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" she roared, swinging it with all of her fury, all of her frustration, all of her raw hatred for the man in front of her.

Ribo was caught off-guard this time, both by the attack and the sheer wall of hatred that Yoko was exuding. He reacted slowly, bringing up the spear to block. The claymore hacked straight through it, sending splinters everywhere. Ribo was surprised, and it was too late to bring up his other arm to block. As the claymore swung at his head, he fell back, hoping to dodge in time.

The blade caught him in the ear, slicing off most of the cartilage and ruining the wireless implant inside. Chunks of his aquamarine hair were sheared off, and sent spinning through the air as he gave a shriek of pain.

Yoko finished her swing, panting from exhaustion. The claymore rested with the tip on the marble floor, and Yoko found she didn't have the strength to lift it again just yet. She waited, wary, for Ribo's reaction.

The Emperor slowly pulled himself back upright. His eyes were blank, uncomprehending. For a moment he just stood there, wondering why half of his face suddenly felt hot. He slowly, cautiously brought up a hand to his face, and felt around for his ear. When he brought it back in front of him it was coated scarlet. His eyes bulged in shock.

Yoko smirked at first, but her pleased expression of victory slowly dropped away as she sense _something_.

"You hurt me...again..." he whispered. His vision went in and out of focus, his eyes going wide and his pupils contracting.

Yoko backed away slowly, warily, keeping the claymore in front of her.

"How dare you...hurt _me_...a king..." Ribo looked at her, his eyes wild.

"None can hurt me! I am destined to rule! The earth and sun and moon and stars! All of it!" His other hand clenched around the remains of the spear, and a crunching sound rang through the eerily silent ballroom. "How dare you oppose me? How dare you seek to harm your destined ruler? The strongest man in this world! The gall! The nerve! The audacity! How dare you! How dare you!"

He turned to Yoko, and she flinched instinctively.

"How dare you...YOU VERMIN!"

His eyes flickered green, then lit up with an emerald glow. He roared in rage, and Yoko backed away faster, sensing his extreme fury. She could practically see a seething aura around him.

_"Kneel!"_

He rushed her, much faster than she had expected. She swung the claymore desperately, hoping to catch him. He blocked it with one arm, and the vibration sent shivers down Yoko's arm. With his other arm he grabbed the blade and crushed it in his hand, the steel rending like so much tin foil. Yoko abandoned the claymore and retreated yet again as Ribo tossed away the ruins of the mighty sword.

_"SUBMIT!"_

Deciding that defence was probably superior to offence at the moment, she grabbed a shield that lay on the ground and brought it up. Ribo fired off a devastating side kick, and the impact sent Yoko flying to slam against the wall. She landed on her feet, however; despite the pain creeping across her body, she stood her ground. Wiping some blood from her mouth, she stared Death in the face and smiled.

"Izzat all you...all you got?"

Ribo answered by flashing forward and grabbing her by the throat, slamming her against the wall. Yoko gasped as her windpipe was crushed, but stared defiance straight into the glowing green eyes of her captor. Ribo whirled and tossed her, and she slid across the floor. A knife that was lying there put a deep gash in her upper arm and stuck there. With no regard to the pain or her own safety, she ripped it out, and a gush of blood soaked her arm. Reaching out, she grabbed a sabre that lay next to her. With the knife held in a reverse-grip in her left hand and the saber in her right, she faced down Ribo as he advanced slowly, ominously.

"Come here, you bastard," she spat. Blood mixed with her saliva spattered the floor.

Ribo held little back. He opened with a fearsome series of jabs, which Yoko dodged and parried with her knife, replying with slashes of her sabre. Then Ribo transitioned to a snapping upward kick that almost caught her in the chin and left her open. He brought it down again, hitting her in her sword hand and knocking the sabre out of her grasp. Yoko tried to attack with her knife, but he caught her hand, spun, and savagely planted an elbow in her ribcage. Yoko gagged on blood as she heard several of her ribs snap clean in two. Ribo spun again and sent a back kick to her head. She staggered backwards, but this time, she did not stand tall. She sagged to her knees, her head falling forward, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth and from the slash in her arm.

"You've got admirable endurance, little bitch," snarled Ribo. "I'll give you that. Most men would be dead by now. Hell, most Nucleotypes would be unconscious at least. Why are you not dead? Why do you not relent? Why do you not give up when you face a foe of such overwhelming capability?"

He walked forward, cracking his knuckles, and slapped her.

"Answer your master, bitch!"

She didn't respond. He kicked her in the side.

"_Answer me!_"

Yoko spat again, her blood staining the white marble red, and managed to gurgle out three words as her defiant yellow pupils stared into his raging emerald and purple eyes.

"Go to hell."

Ribo's knee slammed into her forehead, sending her sprawling backwards. This time, she didn't get up.

* * *

Deep within the bowels of Centrallio, a Beastwoman and a miniature Ganman stalked down a darkened corridor.

"Oh for Christ's sake, could you _be_ any louder?" hissed Aumuna Syndras irritably.

"I can't help it! It's the machine, not me!" whispered back Simon. "And who's this 'Christ' anyway?"

"Main character in a book I once read," explained Aumuna nonchalantly. "A lot of other characters in other books liked to say 'For Christ's sake!' or just 'Christ!' I guess they all read the same books. Now get down and be quiet!"

Lagann couldn't crouch down much lower than it was standing, but Simon tried his best anyway. Ahead of him his new companion bent down low and moved forward in complete silence, one hand on the sword that hung on her left hip. Ifrit, thought Simon; or was it Shiva? Her long, golden tail swayed back and forth silently behind her as she approached the corner ahead. She stopped right at the edge and became completely still, like a statue in the shadows. A feeling of tension radiated out of her, as if an infinite amount of violence was just waiting to be released.

Soon a light approached them from around the corner. Simon listened to the footsteps as they came closer: _thump, thump, thump,_ the heavy sound of the armoured boots the guards wore. Within moments the pair of guards were so close that Simon could hear them talking to each other. And then they were in sight.

Aumuna pounced, unleashing her violence upon the hapless soldiers.

Seconds later, she was bending down to wipe off her blade on one of the fallen guards. Quick, brutal, efficient; Simon stared at her in awe and terror.

"You look like a frightened deer," pointed out Aumuna as she carefully slid her sword back into her scabbard.

"What's a deer?" asked Simon. The lioness gave a sigh.

"Kid, you need to read more."

They set off again, sneaking down the hallway. Simon wasn't so good at it, as Lagann was about as quiet as your average piece of complicated machinery, but Aumuna insisted on it all the same.

"Why do we have to sneak around like this?" asked Simon.

"So that the guards don't sound the alarm," replied Aumuna quietly.

"But you...killed...all of the guards in that one room. Why haven't they sounded the alarm yet?"

"I'm fast, kid. If any of them managed to send a message, it was a quiet gurgle, nothing more. I also took down this part of the power grid; they think there's been a mechanical error. Thus the guards coming down here with flashlights."

"Oh," said Simon simply. He'd wondered why the halls weren't illuminated properly.

Eventually the darkness began to seep away, diffused by a light source up ahead. Aumuna signalled to Simon to be even quieter than normal, and they crept out into the light.

They found themselves in a massive cavern, perfectly circular to the point where it became difficult to judge distance. Here and there were scattered small, square buildings, like a giant set of dice, thrown there by some gambling god. It was impossible to tell how the cavern was lit; Simon assumed the lights were too high up for him to see. The only other remarkable feature was the rings set in the floor, metallic in appearance. They were set one within the other, shrinking inwards, towards a giant stone pillar in the centre. Simon tried to count; there were about ten in all.

Silence surrounded them on all sides, boxing them in with a wall of noiselessness. It was a strange experience for Simon; it was reminded him of when he had first gone to the surface, only he knew he was still underground.

"Get used to it," said Aumuna brusquely. "There's about ten of these things, ten hollow cores carved into the island's foundations. Most of the others will be a bit less sparse, but anyway, that's the way things are."

"How do you know so much about the fortress?" asked Simon. Aumuna shrugged in lieu of giving a proper reply.

There was movement at the nearest cube. Aumuna grabbed Lagann's arm and forcibly dragged the mecha over to a convenient stack of crates nearby. They hid behind them, peeking out over the top to see what was going on.

A trio of guards emerged from a door set into the cube. They chatted amongst themselves for a bit before strolling off, apparently on a patrol of some kind.

"Of course there are guards," said Aumuna quietly. "You'd think he'd have let them alone after all this time, but noooo!"

"Who? What?" asked Simon.

"You ask too many questions," Aumuna informed him. "Let's head towards the door."

"Where is it?" asked Simon before realising his error. Aumuna rolled her eyes and pointed.

"You can't see it?" Her finger was aimed towards the other side of the cavern. "I guess your eyesight just isn't as good."

Simon squinted with his digger's eyes. He was just able to make out a metallic glint from the other end of the chamber.

"You see it? All right then." Aumuna stood. "Let's get going."

She led him around the cavern's outer wall, shadowing the guards' progress as they patrolled. They sprinted from cube to cube, hiding behind each one before moving on to the next. Thankfully they were far enough away that the guards couldn't hear them. Aumuna assured him that there was nobody in the cubes to hear them either; how she knew, Simon didn't know.

They were halfway around before anything new happened. Then, the guards changed their route. They turned inwards, towards the rings in the floors. They stepped on them, and a hollow clanging sounded throughout the cavern.

Immediately, a wave of wordless shrieking rose up from the floor. It flowed forward and enveloped Simon, surrounding him in ululations of pain and terror. He covered his ears with both hands, curling up on Lagann's seat, trying to hide from it. Aumuna just stood next to him, her teeth bared in a growl that was inaudible over the din.

Seeing her, Simon decided to try and ignore the screams somewhat. He only partially succeeded; his ears hurt, and his vision was hazed over with tears, but he was able to see what came next.

One of the guards bent down to the floor and gripped something that was too far away for Simon to see. He lifted up a section of the floor, and Simon saw that it was actually a metal grille. Leaning down, the guard grabbed something and pulled it out.

At once the tortured noise halted, cut off as if a knife had slit someone's throat. The silence that followed was enormous, filling the space with its suffocating emptiness.

The guard picked up the thing with one hand, and Simon saw that it was humanoid in appearance. It was difficult for him to see at that distance, but he could hear a vague, burbling whimper. Then there was a round of cruel chuckling, and the whimper intensified. Then the guard slammed the figure into the ground, and the other two began kicking it. The whimpering became a howling scream of pain. Then, suddenly, silence. One of the other guards gathered up the limp figure and tossed it over his shoulder. With this burden they returned towards their cube.

"It isn't dead," said Aumuna grimly. "Would be better if it were."

Slowly comprehension came over Simon. Then he turned to her and asked, "Why don't you do something? Kill them!"

"So now you want me to kill, huh? Well, too bad. It's too much trouble. It's not like before, where I could get all of them at once. If I killed those guys now, we'd be up to our asses in guards, and we've got eight more levels to go."

Simon scowled and looked down, but he had to admit she was right. They continued.

Before they had reached the door on the other side of the cavern, a new set of guards had exited one of the other cubes, and a series of screams had begun to emanate from the cube back near the exit they had come from. Aumuna's teeth were clenched tight, and her tail moved agitatedly.

They approached the elevator. Aumuna pushed the button, and the doors opened with a hiss. They got in.

Then, suddenly, the lioness whipped around, pulled the rifle off of her back, and fired it three times out the closing door. Simon could see the group of guards falling as the doors snapped close.

Simon sat silently, partly in fear, partly in awe. Somehow, he knew something was intensely wrong, more wrong than anything he had yet seen.

"...They're not Beastmen," began Aumuna suddenly, startling Simon.

"At least, not quite. See, before Lordgenome created the Beastmen, there were...others. He thought they were successes at first, but then...well, none of us ever got the full story. Apparently they tricked him, or deceived him somewhat, and so..."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Nobody ever wants to work down there. It's about as far from civilisation as you can get...not counting myself, of course. On top of that, there's nothing to do." She smiled grimly. "Of course, that's not to say that there aren't benefits. For the right kind of person, well...this is the best job in the world."

Simon was silent as the implications sank in. For a time there was nothing but the creaking of the elevator as it went about its work.

"Those bastards are the ones who should be in cages," he said finally.

"Kid, you have no idea how often I've thought that myself."

The elevator reached its destination with a cheery _ding_. The elevator doors slid open again, just like the last two times.

As they did so the temperature suddenly jumped up into a range reminiscent of the hottest days out on the wastes.

"What the hell?" gasped Simon as he felt the moisture sucked out of the air by the dry heat.

"Ain't it great?" sighed Aumuna, stretching. "I can already feel those twenty-year-old kinks coming out of my muscles."

Ahead of them stretched yet another giant cavern. This one, however, was much less barren. Ringing the cavern was a giant moat of magma, the likely source of all the heat, and at periodic intervals sprouted tall metal pipes whose function was not immediately evident. At the centre of the moat was an island, and on the island was, surprisingly, a small forest of what appeared to be trees, at the centre of which was a stone column similar to the one he had seen in the level below.

"Why are there trees down here?" asked Simon.

"They aren't trees," said Aumuna flatly. "Now come on, we've gotta move fast. I don't know how long it'll be before they discover those three guards I shot down."

The Beastwoman and the Ganman ran across the bridge spanning the moat. The moat was much larger than Simon had thought, and as they ran, he began to wonder what, exactly, was the purpose of it.

Then they got close enough that he could make out what the "trees" actually were, and he almost retched.

The forest consisted of thousands upon thousands of wooden crucifixes, strewn out haphazardly like actual trees in an actual forest. They were of differing heights, some higher than others, but all were at least three times as tall as Aumuna. Atop each one was nailed a Beastman, each one moaning in pain and agony.

"They aren't trees," said Aumuna firmly. "Come on, we don't have time!"

She led him under the canopy of crosses, weaving in and out among the posts of wood. Simon continued looking about, gazing up at the poor, mutilated Beastmen. Some gazed down at him, their eyes showing neither hope nor fear. Only emptiness.

"We have to help them!" shouted Simon at his companion, who had pulled ahead.

"They're useless!" called back the Beastwoman. "I can tell you from experience, none of them are going to be in a condition to run, let alone fight. Leave them."

"But we can't...I can't just..."

"This is what happens to those who defy the Four Divine Generals," said Aumuna. "This is where they send those that get on their bad side. I've seen a few comrades off to here myself..."

Simon asked the inevitable question. "So what happens to those who defy the king himself?"

Aumuna stopped and pointed up. Simon followed her finger, up the pillar to the very roof of the cavern. There he could just make out a network of grey cubes.

"Cages, all of them," informed Aumuna. "Attached to the pipes that run the magma down to the moat. They get leaky sometimes, you see, and it wouldn't do to have this lovely forest catch fire..."

Simon wondered why he bothered to keep asking for details.

"Anyway, let's keep-" began Aumuna, but she was cut off by the shrill blaring of an alarm cutting through the hot air.

"Oh, _crap_," she swore. "Guess they finally clued in."

Strange shrieks filled the air as Aumuna picked up the pace, almost sprinting through the forest of moaning prisoners. Simon looked behind him - far behind, back in the direction they had come from, winged creatures were pouring out of an opening set high up in the wall.

"Flying Beastmen?" asked Simon wonderingly.

"God, you're such a hick!" burst out Aumuna angrily. She continued her hell bent sprint to safety.

But they wouldn't get out without a fight. Soon, one of the Beastmen appeared before them, flitting down from above. Upon closer inspection, Simon realized that it wasn't a Beastman - it was a Beast_woman_, with great, feathery wings where the arms should have been, moulting sickeningly. In place of feet were large, sharp talons, and covering the chest and waist was a coating of sickly-looking down. It screeched menacingly and swooped down.

In a heartbeat Aumuna's sword was out and tracing a gleaming arc in the air. In the next, the winged Beastwoman's bleeding corpse thudded into the ground.

"Damn harpies," grunted Aumuna. "Don't just stand there, keep moving!" She sheathed her sword (but not before wiping it clean) and unslung the rifle from across her back. She flicked a switch on it and held it at the ready as she continued running.

More harpies dove down after the first, screeching that ear-piercing cry. Aumuna aimed quickly and cleanly, bringing down one after the other with bursts of automatic fire. Many of them screamed various profanities as they dropped, adding several new words to Simon's vocabulary.

Then he began to fall behind. For some reason Lagann was not obeying him; something held him back. His Ganman slowed down as Simon looked to the left and to the right at the bodies of the fallen harpies, both sickened and fascinated at this monument to murder.

All of a sudden there was a shrieking behind him, and he felt claws tearing through his right shoulder. Yelling in pain, he looked up as the harpy screamed overhead. It swooped back around for another pass, its claws out, shrieking blood and death at its prey.

Simon acted without thinking. One moment the ugly bird was coming right at him; the next, Lagann's fist was planted in its face. The thing flapped back drunkenly, obviously confused and in pain. Simon could have used this chance to continue on, to try and catch up without having to kill the thing. He could have run.

But he didn't. His instincts were in full control, and felt nothing as the springs in Lagann's feet activated, sending him sailing up, over the harpy, until gravity registered and the mini-Ganman crashed back down with a double hammer fist attack on the unsuspecting harpy.

Then Simon was sitting in Lagann as it stood over the broken body of the bird-Beastwoman. It breathed weakly, pitifully. Its limbs twitched spastically, as if the smashed wreck of its spine were trying desperately to confirm their continued existence. Simon stared down numbly, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

A crack of gunfire, and a spatter of blood burst from the harpy's head, putting the convulsions to rest. Simon looked up; there stood Aumuna with her rifle.

"You'll live," she said brusquely. She turned and beckoned over her shoulder, and then continued running.

Simon followed her. This time, he found that Lagann had no problems responding.

* * *

"Hey, Phives."

No answer.

"Phives!"

Still no answer.

"Dammit, Phives, answer me!"

"I am here."

Viral spun about, the claws in his fingers unsheathing in his alarm. He soon calmed down, and the claws retracted again.

"Phives, you sneaky bastard. How do you move so quietly?"

"How do you move so loudly, sir?"

Viral smiled a bit. Phives' previous mechanical neutrality had been unnerving, but recently he'd been making more and more sarcastically calm wisecracks.

Of course, he probably shouldn't be making them towards his superiors. Viral would have to work on that.

"Very funny, Phives," said Viral. "Even though you know I'm quieter than even you." Both knew that Viral's animalistic stealth capabilities far exceeded the Nucleotype's more human ones. Something, at least, that Viral was better at, though he knew it was only by a thin margin.

"Regardless, I am always aware of your position." The lieutenant's cold, mechanical assertion was just that - an assertion. It wasn't boasting or exaggeration; Phives somehow _always_ knew where Viral was, and whenever he was calling. It was slightly creepy for Viral, who didn't like the feeling that he was being watched.

"I know that already," Viral said calmly. "Anyways, walk with me."

"Am I to be given a mission?"

"Dammit, why is everything missions and orders with you? Maybe I was just bored and wanted to talk." It was a lie, but only an indirect one.

"It will be my pleasure to be in your company," responded Phives. Viral hated the formal tone and language. It seemed like he was always implying something. Like he secretly felt contempt for his superior. Or something.

The pair strolled down the empty corridors. Dekabutsu wasn't that much different from Dai-Gantei, in design. Same curving hallways, same strips of fluorescent lights lining the ceilings. There were more windows, though; that was an improvement, at least. In most areas they were the only source of illumination, as the techies hadn't gotten all of the facilities up and running yet. At least the bathrooms were working, bless the Spiral King's long-dead soul.

"So how are things, Phives?" asked Viral somewhat awkwardly. It was always like this, with Phives; his cool, machinelike demeanour wasn't exactly receptive to conversation.

"Things have been fine," replied the Nucleotype, almost automatically. "If you are referring to my living conditions, they have proved more than suitable."

At least he was offering information this time. And he'd better damn well appreciate his new quarters. They'd freed up a small but commodious suite for him, as befitting his new station as right-hand man to the Emperor's right-hand man. Was he then a right-hand man once removed? Viral shooed away the meaningless thought.

"Well, I can't say your choice of descriptors is the best, but it's an improvement," commented Viral dryly. "You aren't missing any of your old comrades, are you?"

"No, sir."

"Not even any of the girls?" _Girls;_ it was an unfamiliar word on Viral's tongue. The lack of Beastwomen meant he'd never really had the chance to use it.

"I am sure they are doing well," said Phives monotonously.

"Doing well? That's all?"

"Well...yes."

"You weren't...attached to any of them?"

"They were adequate soldiers."

"You're so boring, Phives."

"My apologies. What should I do to appear more interesting?"

"Never mind." Viral dismissed it with a wave. This wasn't going as he had planned it. The more he probed Phives' mind, the more he found the same blank grey machinery. At least the cogs had begun to unwind, if only a little bit, as shown by Phives' newfound ability for humour.

But this was off the point. Viral had called Phives for reasons other than bored curiosity. What he wanted was information.

"What I meant was, well...weren't you attracted to them at all?" asked Viral, attempting to get back on the track he was looking for.

"Not particularly. Was I supposed to be?"

"Well...maybe." Viral couldn't exactly judge the attractiveness of human females.

"I'm sorry, sir. I will try to rectify this problem immediately. What should I do?"

"Never mind!" snapped Viral, not wanting to get into a detailed discussion of the necessary rituals. "It's just disappointing, that's all."

"Oh no, I have disappointed my superior. Will my termination be implemented?"

"You're such a prick. I'm not going to kill you over a personal matter."

"Apologies. I believed otherwise, given the number of death threats you have previously issued."

Viral growled a bit, but Phives had a point.

"Enough of that jabber," ordered Viral. "I'm not going to kill you. I'm just jealous."

"Based on previous studies, that doesn't infer that you will not kill me."

"Okay, that's enough." Viral sighed and just decided to push along with it. "The thing is, I just never got the chance to interact with females."

"I do not understand."

"Beastwoman aren't exactly common," explained Viral. "I only knew one, and she was my superior. Divine General Adiane of the Western Aquatic Human Extermination Army."

"Pity. As a unisexual race, you must have been doomed to an endless cycle of regeneration."

"Well, the Spiral King knows I'd rather we were bisexual!" snapped Viral in anger before realising the trap his subordinate had set for him. He glared at the Nucleotype, but he appeared emotionless as always. Perhaps he hadn't actually intended it. Perhaps.

"What I mean is, all Beastmen share the gene for the male instinct. The Spiral King told me himself he hadn't figured out how to get rid of it. But he didn't want distractions, so he didn't create many females."

"So most of you were sexually unfulfilled."

"To put it bluntly..." muttered Viral.

"I see where your jealousy stems from. Simply say the word, and I will do my best to ease your suffering."

Viral stared strangely at his aide, and thought he saw the barest outline of a smile. He hoped he wasn't imagining things. Or perhaps he hoped he did, depending on which part was being imagined.

"I wish you'd stop screwing with my head, Phives."

"I am not screwing with anything at the moment, sir."

"Yes, Phives, you have informed me of that fact."

"Would you like me to screw with something?"

"Yes, actually!" Viral almost yelled. "Find one of your Nucleotype women to screw!"

"I could not do that, sir. They are too logical for me to screw with. And I think they would experience pain if I took a tool and put a screw in any place on their person."

Viral held his head in his hands and moaned at the mess he had gotten into. And he didn't even know if it was intentional on Phives' part.

"I think I may be a bad influence..."

"Pardon me, sir?"

"Never mind!" snapped Viral for the third time. "I was just wondering why the lot of you aren't all like your Emperor."

"Pardon me, sir, but I don't understand."

"Now Ribo, _there's_ an example of proper male instincts. He's practically drooling over that human." He avoided using names, although he suspected that Phives knew about his relation to Yoko.

"Lord Ribo has never drooled over any female," explained Phives curtly. "His only interest is in pure genetics. He has identified the girl, despite being a normal human, as a valuable gene sample, and has thus taken steps to combine it with his own gene pool. Although I can't say his techniques are the most efficient."

"I'll say," snorted the sharkcat. "She's so unimpressed with him that you could use her disappointment as ballast." Okay, so it wasn't his best line, but it filled its purpose. He looked over at his subordinate; there was a strangeness about Phives' neutral expression, as if Viral had somehow misunderstood something.

"Anyway," he pushed on, "he's treating her nicely, to be sure. I'm sure she's doing fine. You see her regularly, right?" Of course he didn't, but that didn't matter. "How's our Princess doing?"

At this point Viral turned and focused on Phives' face, shrewdly searching for anything, any indication. It took him a moment to recognize it, but it was there; a kind of tightness about Phives' features, like a sudden tension had pulled at him. Viral hadn't known what to expect, but now he knew, seeing Phives' normally unfazed expression suddenly change, even if only a little.

Then it smoothed over. "I am sorry," apologized Phives, "but I am forbidden from discussing the Princess with another. For security reasons, you understand."

"Of course, of course," said Viral calmly. "After all, any order from the Emperor automatically supersedes mine. Nothing to be done about it."

"Indeed," said Phives. Viral could almost detect a hint of relaxation in his tone.

"Well, I have business elsewhere," declared Viral abruptly. "I'll see you around, Phives. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir."

Viral watched Phives disappear around the corner. Maybe the Nucleotype suspected Viral's suspicions. In that case, at least, Viral could trust Phives not to tell anyone. It wasn't as if it were anything big, but if someone knew, then it could hinder his access to information.

The sudden departure of the princess' tutors...the closed ballroom...Ribo's sudden reluctance to talk about her...It all smelled of secrets, bad secrets, rotting underneath Ribo's fancy robes. In any case, Viral had to find out. It could be important, could give him leverage against the young Emperor. That was his reasoning for this clandestine investigation.

Of course, there was also the little part of him that desperately wondered at what had happened to Yoko.

* * *

They were almost to the end. The forest's edge was visible, and beyond that, the magma moat, complete with a stone bridge crossing it. Aumuna picked up the pace eagerly, dashing towards the safety of the elevator.

Simon followed along behind. He hadn't had to kill any more harpies, so long as he stuck close behind Aumuna. Her aim was frightful, almost as good as Yoko's; but while Yoko only ever fired at Ganmen, Aumuna's careful blasts put bloody holes in the flesh of living creatures. Simon tuned it out, remembering the pathetic wreck he had caused. Aumuna's method was more merciful than that, at least.

Suddenly the attacks stopped coming. Aumuna didn't stop, and continued glancing about and through the canopy of outstretched crucifixes. Their occupants stared blankly back down at her.

"This probably isn't good," she muttered. "I don't think I killed all of them..."

Then the screeching started up again. But it was distant, and sounded as if it came from a set of speakers somewhere.

Aumuna and Simon ran onto the bridge as a series of strange objects began emerging from the magma.

They were giant metal spheres, over a hundred metres across. There were no windows in them, no openings by which one might perceive the sphere's inner workings. They glowed red-hot, and magma dripped off of them in red and orange droplets. Set into each sphere's surface was a single door facing the interior of the moat, their handles giant wheels. Several hundred of these spheres emerged along the length of the moat, all facing inward.

The screeching reached another octave entirely, sending spikes through Simon's eardrums. Squinting through the pain, he watched as the giant metal wheels began to turn, and the doors opened.

Hundreds of Beastmen crawled out, panting, sweating, heaving themselves out before attempting to stand upright. Even then they swayed drunkenly, lurching to and fro, sometimes falling. Cats, dogs, lizards, elephants, rhinos, various types of birds, even an aqueous species or two: they were all shapes and sizes, packed into the heavy spheres, tumbling out in twos and threes, sometimes leaning against each other for support.

"The violent," explained Aumuna shortly. "Murder, assault, battery, abuse, even some cases of rape, though I'm not sure how they managed that. This is where they go to spend their days.

The screeching cut short. Then, a new message blared out.

"Kill the intruders!" it squawked harshly. "He who deals the final blow gets his sentence cut in half!"

Then silence.

Aumuna began backing away slowly. "Come on, Simon," she muttered. "This isn't exactly a good place to be..."

The inmates stared at the intruders with hungry eyes. Any sane person would have wilted and cowered underneath the combined gaze of those hundreds of stares.

Simon, of course, stood his ground. He even stepped forward a bit.

"Wait!" he yelled. "We don't have to fight!" He gestured. "We can work together, escape this place as one! We can all fight against our fate! You can all become members of Dai-Gurren!"

They stared at him, unmoved. Aumuna ran forward and grabbed Simon's shoulder.

"Are you insane?" she hissed. "They're murderers and rapists! On top of that, they're half-crazy from dehydration and heat exposure, those that aren't crazy already! Why on Earth would you want them to join your team, let alone expect them to listen to you?"

Simon turned to her with an incomprehensible expression. "I-"

He was cut off by a sound from behind. He and Aumuna turned as one. Apparently some of the inmates weren't quite crazy yet, and had found some way to get to the outer edge of the moat and circle around behind. They stood there and leered at the trapped duo.

To put it bluntly, Simon and Aumuna were on a bridge, surrounded by lava, with both ways off covered by mobs of lunatics and psychos.

"Well, pretending to be stealthy was fun while it lasted," drawled Aumuna, unclipping something from her belt.

"I wouldn't count it as fun," said Simon stiffly. Lagann's drills had instinctively extended themselves.

"No chance of flying us out of here?"

"How did you know Lagann could fly?"

"Well, I meant jumping, but thanks for telling me. So?"

"No, the roof's too low." He pointed to the roof of the cavern above the elevator. It was indeed low, almost brushing the heads of the taller prisoners.

"Well, shit."

"Stealth is overrated anyway. Going up against the odds and doing the impossible, that's the way the Dai-Gurrren Brigade rolls." Simon grinned slightly as part of his effort to project a facade of unworried badass. The effect was more reminiscent of worry.

"I'll say." Aumuna succeeded a little more. In fact, her grin might have even been real. She held up the small, round object in her hand.

"If we're done with this whole silent-death schtick, then I think it's time I went big."

She tossed it nonchalantly. It rolled, bounced, rolled some more, and finally stopped just in front of the mob nearest the elevators.

Then it exploded, sending body parts in various combinations flying everywhere.

Of course the two mobs charged at that point, trying to smash the digger and the Beastwoman to pieces under the weight of sheer numbers. Aumuna unlatched some more grenades and tossed them in both directions, burning large swathes of death in the crowds. She fired her rifle until its clip emptied, which wasn't much, then bludgeoned an inmate in the face with it before tossing it away into the lava. Then, unsheathing her swords, she went whirling towards the elevator. She was War itself, bringing Death to the violent masses with brutal, elegant efficiency. Simon followed behind, not doing too badly himself, drilling holes in Beastmen the way he had dug holes all his life. It was dirty work, but Simon was used to dirt, and the blood and gore that flew around Lagann's protective dome barely fazed him in the heat of battle.

Together they carved a path towards the elevator, a path lined with corpses and the stench of entrails. Simon held off the enemy while Aumuna pressed the button to call the elevator. The door slid open, and they retreated into it. Simon speared out his drill one last time, removing the head of a bird Beastman, before the doors hissed shut.

It was eerily quiet inside the small circular chamber. After so much violence, everything seemed strangely peaceful. Simon deactivated Lagann's dome.

All at once realisation of what he had just experienced hit him at the same time as the smell.

He threw himself over the edge of Lagann's cockpit and heaved wretchedly into a corner of the elevator. Aumuna stood back and watched impassively.

"Yeah, of all the reactions, I figured that'd be the one you'd get," she commented. "Well, you'll live."

Simon wiped his mouth on the edge of his sleeve and sat back heavily in Lagann's seat. He turned his head to his Beastwoman companion.

"Is every level going to be like this?" he asked.

"Not quite," replied Aumuna. "Each level is its own unique flavour. You'll see."

Simon grunted in response.

"So where does the magma come from?" asked Simon.

"From deep underground," said the Beastwoman. "Not too far, though; Centrallio is actually built on top of a long-dormant volcano. There's a magma chamber just a little ways down from the lowest level, and the magma gets piped up around it."

"How did they keep it so _cold?_"

"Beastmen have the best AC in the world."

"What?"

"Magical machines that blow out cold air."

"Oh."

"Anyway, it gets drawn up around, brought together in between levels 9 and 8, and piped up through level 7 via those giant pillars to level 6. A little gets rerouted to the magma moat, too."

"What do they use it for on level 6?"

"You'll see."

There was silence for a time. Aumuna leaned against the wall, exuding cool aloofness. Simon, on the other hand, sat slumped, trying hard not to think at all. He listened to the sound of the elevator rising and blanked out his memories of the last hour.

"You said Gurren back there, didn't you?" burst out Aumuna suddenly, startling Simon out of his sleep.

"Yeah. Dai-Gurren. Why?"

"No reason." She looked away, at the ceiling.

"You're lying again."

"Whoop-dee-doo, congratulations genius."

"What do you know about Dai-Gurren?"

"Why would I lie if I were intending to tell you?"

Simon didn't have an answer to that one. He decided to drop it for the moment. He fell back to unfeeling, eventually forgetting the matter entirely.

The elevator dinged to signal that it had attained its destination. Simon sat straight again and grasped the controls.

Seven more levels. Was Yoko on any of those levels? He didn't know.

He prayed that Yoko was safe.

* * *

**Special kudos to Dante, for providing one of the most interesting visions of Hell ever devised.**

**Words will be up next to all my fellow readers. If y'all are liking this. You may like Words or the fics by 1 over 0 as well.**

**Also, the side story, Nucleotide: Shades of Gray is out. It chronicles the adventures of Rossiu, Kinon, and of Mito Khan's, like how this story chronicles Simon, Yoko, and Ribo.**

**Gainax owns Gurren Lagann, all OCs and Centrallio belong to me and 1 over 0.**


	12. The Ballroom Blitz Part 4

**Gainax owns Gurren-Lagann. Please take time to thank them for creating such an amazing series.**

* * *

At first there was nothing: nothing but darkness, and silence.

It wasn't exactly bad. In fact, it was comforting, in its own way. There was nothing to fear, in the darkness. There was nothing to fear, in the silence. There was neither cold nor heat, neither pain nor pleasure. There was nothing but existence, and the lack thereof.

But the darkness could not hold her forever. She clung to the darkness, wanting to remain in its embrace forever and always, but the darkness thrust her away. She spun up and up, spinning, before finally surfacing with a gasp: a swimmer inhaling air that she had forgotten existed.

Then the pain hit and she cursed the darkness for forsaking her. She wanted to curl up in a ball and hold herself tight, but that would increase the pain, she knew that. Instead she bit her lip until it bled, fighting back the pain that threatened to put her into a place where there was neither darkness nor light.

And then, when she felt that she could bear it, she opened her eyes.

Bad idea. The light crashed in and bounced around the inside of her head with total disregard for her well-being. She shut her eyes tight again, cursing the light, and the darkness swelled up slightly to comfort her. But she knew that she couldn't stay. She had to reach the light. It was the only way.

So, steeling herself against the pain, she opened her eyes again.

She could see little through the blur of tears. There was a light, far off in the distance, and greyness around it. That was all she could see for the moment. But it was enough.

"You're awake? Lord, you're awake!"

The voice floated in from somewhere to her right. She stiffened at the voice, for it was a voice she knew. Though she couldn't place a face to the voice, the voice's existence told her something important.

"...I'm not dead, then, am I?" moaned Yoko Littner painfully.

"Conscious! Good grief, you gave me a scare. I wasn't expecting you to get up so soon. No, you're not dead, thank goodness."

Yoko closed her eyes again, taking comfort in the lack of sight.

"I should be dead," she muttered.

"Well, you're not, and it's no small miracle either."

"I wish I were dead."

There was silence for a moment. Then a kind of squeaking, as of wheels spinning. When Yoko next opened her eyes, a kind, furry face swam into view.

"I won't have any talk like that," ordered Kuroko. "Not from any apprentice of mine."

She wheeled away again on her spinning chair. Yoko turned her head, painfully, to watch her go. The Beastwoman came to a stop in front of a series of screens and began clicking and typing.

"...So tell me doc," asked Yoko after a moment. "How bad am I?"

The clicking and typing stopped for a moment, and Kuroko looked pensive.

"Well...you're pretty much intact. I mean, I had to replace some stuff, of course. But hey, as long as you're alive, right!"

"...You're joking."

"Of course I am. What, you think I'm that bad of a doctor?"

"Good. Because otherwise, I would have had to kill you."

Kuroko laughed.

"...So how long have I been out?" asked the redheaded human after a short pause.

"Not too long," replied the catwoman. "Not even a day, I think. Even given the methods I was forced to use, it's still pretty amazing."

"What methods?"

"Umm..." grunted Kuroko. "Give me a second to put this into layman's terms..."

She scratched her head for a while, and then answered.

"So, Spiral Energy fixes basically anything, right? So I hooked you up to a spare Spiral Amplifier I had lying around, and presto!"

"Spiral...Energy?" came the confused response.

Kuroko's jaw dropped.

"Your leader runs around committing miracles with a Core Unit and you don't even know about Spiral Power?"

"Um...what's that?"

"The green stuff?"

"You mean the fighting spirit?"

Kuroko groaned. "Great. Now I've got to explain that, too."

She wheeled herself back over and positioned herself in a spot Yoko couldn't see, behind her head. Suddenly the redhead felt herself moving, and her view of the world blurred drunkenly. Then she was looking up at the array of screens.

"This...is what we call DNA," informed Kuroko's voice. Yoko heard a click, and the screens went blank. A strange helix formation appeared. "All animals have DNA. DNA is like a program for your body. From the moment you're born, your DNA decides how fast you grow, your hair colour, the size of your nose, and all sorts of other things. You get your DNA from your parents, and it's a mix of both. Each generation has different DNA, causing gradual change over time. This is what we call evolution."

"Okay..." murmured Yoko, not quite understanding completely but getting the gist of it.

"Spiral Energy is the force that drives evolution itself. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, the two are linked. Individuals can learn to harness their Spiral Energy, often with the help of tools. Spiral Energy itself defies the laws of physics, so the applications are obviously endless, even outside of battle."

"So Simon's drills-"

"Are a manifestation of his Spiral Power, yes."

"You said he had a...Core Unit?"

There was another click, and an image of Lagann popped up.

"That's what it's called. The Core Unit is an ancient piece of technology, designed to take full advantage of Spiral Energy. While Spiral Energy had previously been used mostly as a battery, like in the Ganmen-"

"I thought they ran on electricity."

"For Beastmen, yes, because they can't generate Spiral Energy. Hush, I'll explain that later. Anyway, the Core Unit was developed in order to properly harness Spiral Power's reality-altering abilities. It's sort of like an amplifier, or a focus for the user's energy. The pilot of a Core Unit can easily perform feats of Spiral Power far surpassing what he might do alone."

"So that's why..."

"Now you make the connection. Your leader is powerful, that's for sure, but the Core Unit pushes him far beyond his ordinary limits."

"An amplifier...you said you hooked me up to an amplifier?"

"Yup." Yoko felt a hand clasp her right arm and lift it into view. She stared at it in confusion. Some form of green, glowing device was embedded into the back of her hand and wound its way up her arm. There was also a tube embedded in her wrist.

"The tube is actually an IV drip. I had to hook you up because I didn't expect you to wake up for a week of two," explained Kuroko. "You're lucky I had one of these lying around, along with the knowledge needed to graft one onto a human. Otherwise, you would have been dead now."

Yoko continued staring at it. It pulsed warmly in response.

"Yeah, sure, it was no problem," said the catwoman sarcastically. "No need to thank me. It's easy enough to create an object that's perfectly fractal to one hundredth of a micrometer."

"Fractal?"

"A pattern that repeats itself on all levels of magnification." Kuroko brought up an image of a spiral. "See how the spiral repeats itself as it gets smaller? That's part of the theory behind Spiral amplification. Your leader has some kind of golden drill, right? That's likely the heart of the Core Unit. It's supposed to be perfectly fractal down to whole levels that don't even exist on this plane of reality. That's what lets him harness such huge amounts of energy. You have no idea how long it took me to replicate the effect, and even then I could only get amplification rates of several hundred times."

Yoko didn't even nod, as that would have hurt too much. She grunted, however, to signify her partial understanding.

"So that's Spiral Energy in a nutshell," finished Kuroko, pushing Yoko's bed back into the corner. "Right now, that same power is healing up every broken part of your body. As you can see, it's quite useful."

"Is that what they used...the Knights?"

"Of course," answered Kuroko, looking off to the left as if to check that nobody else was there. "They're using amplifiers of my own design, similar to the one on your arm."

"Last question?"

"What?"

"Why the arm?"

Kuroko chuckled.

"Because your breasts were too large for me to stick it in your chest."

They laughed. Yoko laughed too, even though it hurt and her ribs burned with pain. Then, suddenly, she was crying.

"He's so powerful," she sobbed. "I couldn't do a thing to him. He didn't even have an amplifier, he wasn't in a Ganman, but I could tell he could bring down the entire room if he wanted to. I was so scared. He scared me!"

Kuroko reached out and stroked her hair. "Hush now, child. Don't cry. None of it was your fault."

"But I had an opportunity to kill him, to get revenge for the others, and I couldn't do it! I could have ended the war, but I was too weak! And now they're all dead for nothing! The twins and Simon, they're dead, and I don't even know who else, and now Ribo will win. Kuroko, what is there left to hope for?"

Kuroko continued stroking Yoko's head, silently reassuring. Eventually her sobs died down to sniffles, and her breathing slowed to a regular pace. Her eyes closed, and she looked on the verge of falling asleep.

"You poor girl..." murmured Kuroko. "You're trying so hard to be strong. All alone, and trying to take the weight of an entire race. I am so, so sorry."

She then leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"But I'll tell you this one thing. Your friends are very much alive."

She then sat up and gave a hard stare to her array of screens, where several warning messages blipped urgently.

* * *

A whining beep, and the doors slid open. A tall, lithe figure and a squat, round one jumped out and brandished drills and swords threateningly.

Nothing greeted them. No enemies jumped out to attack them. There were no cries of alarm, no gunfire, no blaring alarms. Nothing.

They both relaxed, and the taller one turned to her companion.

"Welcome to Level 6," declared Aumuna grandly, gesturing with her arm.

Ahead of them sprawled a massive complex of machinery. In the centre of the chamber loomed a gigantic, bulging structure of metal frames and piping. From it, more piping spidered out across the floor, leading to giant cylindrical structures. Everywhere there was the roar of great turbines, and the hissing of steam. It was also hot, almost hotter than the previous level, and the air was thick with humidity.

"What is all of this?" asked Simon, yelling over the noise.

"The great geothermal generators!" yelled back Aumuna. "This bad boy powers the entire complex, and more besides! It uses magma to heat water into steam, which turns giant turbines!"

"So it makes electricity from lava?"

"In simple terms, yes!"

Aumuna strutted forwards, slipping her swords back into her sheathes. Simon followed, his drills disappearing. They wandered around the great and mysterious complex of pipes and parts, encountering nobody.

"Now this is strange!" yelled Aumuna. "You'd think they'd have sent some guards, at least! Now why wouldn't they-?"

She was cut off by a shout. Whirling around, she spotted a gazelle Beastman in a dull green uniform gaping at them from atop a pile of scrap metal.

"Holy crap, it's...no! You can't be! No!" He squealed in terror, turned, leapt down from the pile of parts, and dashed out of sight. Aumuna watched him go curiously.

"Funny man. Looked familiar..."

Then she placed it, and her fist came down into her open palm in a gesture of understanding.

"Of course!" she said. "That was...But then that means..."

"What?" asked Simon.

The Beastwoman turned to him and smiled a happy grin.

"It means I have friends on this level! Simon, you're about to meet the former soldiers of the Eastern Army - in other words, my troops!"

As if in response, there was sudden movement, all around them. There was a hiss, and the steam rose up in thick clouds, turning their surroundings into a white blur. Shadows slid through the opaqueness, surrounding them. Simon and Aumuna instinctively placed themselves back-to-back against the shadows. The steam rolled around them, making it impossible to count the spectres surrounding them.

"WHO IS IT THAT STEPS ONTO OUR LAND UNBIDDEN?" roared a voice out of the whiteness. It was deep and intimidating, threatening untold wrath should their answer be insufficient.

Aumuna just leaned back and laughed.

"Damn, Muris, I knew you were a drama queen, but I never guessed you were this dramatic!"

"Shut the hell up!" replied the voice angrily. "You're on my turf now, and you'll give me some respect!"

"Respect? I'm your commanding officer and your babysitter besides! Now get rid of this damn steam, it's starting to piss me off!"

There was a large, resentful sigh. Simon heard a roaring noise, and several large, powerful fans sucked out the steam.

Surrounding the Beastwoman and the boy were several dozen Beastmen, mostly grazing mammals like deer or oxen. Among them were scattered several simian types, and a handful of others, mostly canine or feline in appearance. They all wore bland, grey uniforms with serial numbers printed on the arms. Many of them were carrying wrenches or hammers of various sizes, and some of the larger ones shouldered large sections of piping.

There was a clanking sound, and both Aumuna and Simon turned to the source of the noise. Stepping across the machine parts towards them was a diminutive Beastman, wearing a hooded robe over his uniform. From the shadows of the hood glared two bright yellow eyes.

"You actually managed to keep that old thing?" snickered Aumuna. "How many guards did you have to blow so they'd let you keep it?"

"Shut the hell up, dammit!" roared the Beastman, throwing back his hood to reveal his mousy face. "You might have gotten away with that sort of thing before, but now, I'm in charge!"

"You're not serious?" scoffed Aumuna sceptically. "Muris? You all honestly chose _Muris_ as your leader?"

"It is Muris' action that let us live," hissed a wolf-Beastman. "Without Muris, we would be dead!"

"Indeed," said Muris himself. "You led us to death. I led us out of it.

"You ungrateful bastard. Anyway, is this all that's left? Pathetic."

"We are approximately twice this number. We're lucky."

"Wait, I'm confused..." mumbled Simon.

All eyes in the immediate area turned towards him.

"How rude. I almost forgot, I was so wrapped up in dealing with this little bitch. What's your name, human?"

"I'm no bitch..." muttered Aumuna.

"I'm Simon. It's nice to meet you, uh...Muris?"

"Yes, that is my name," returned Muris calmly. "It's been many, many years since I have seen a human. It is a pleasure."

"Well, at least you haven't redeveloped the kill-all-humans mentality," snapped Aumuna. "But it's just occurred to me that you bastards shouldn't be alive, without access to regeneration."

"We get access," rumbled a rhino-Beastman. "Muris gets access for us."

"We work hard, we live," explained Muris coldly. "That's how it is."

"Wait, so you guys became the Spiral King's _slave boys?_ Now that's just disappointing. All of you, I give you my mark of disapproval." She lifted her arms high in the air, stuck out her middle fingers, and spun around once.

"Classy as always, I see," said Muris with frosty disapproval. "If you're done, I need to know why you're here. You're supposed to be at the very bottom, cooling your heels for eternity."

"Isn't it obvious?" proclaimed Aumuna, turning so all could hear her. "My burning passion is far too hot for this place! I'm here to bust the hell out of here and teach those bastards topside a lesson! Now who's with me?" She pumped her fist into the air.

Silence fell like a rock. Aumuna slowly lowered her arm slowly, as a frown crept across her face.

"All right, then I order you!" she yelled. "You are all still my subordinates. I order you to come with me!"

The silence fell again like a dead weight. The humid air seemed to press closer, making both Aumuna and Simon sweat even harder.

"They aren't your servants anymore," declaimed Muris. He spat to the side. "You nearly killed all of us. You can't just appear out of nowhere and expect us to follow you."

"Ungrateful assholes..." growled Aumuna. "I suppose you'll call the guards now."

"No," Muris replied, turning to leave. "There are no guards on this level, as I have managed to assure us all a level of independence. In addition, none of us will hinder you. Anyone is free to join you, but don't expect to get many takers. So long as you do not harm any of us, you are free to come and go as you please. However..."

Here he turned again and gave Aumuna a hard glare.

"Should any of us be harmed, whether directly or indirectly, by your actions, you will find no safe haven anywhere in this complex."

He then strode off into the maze of machinery, soon disappearing from sight.

"...Well...that went well," sighed Aumuna tiredly. "Come on, kid, let's skedaddle."

"Skedaddle?" asked Simon

"Leave. Let's leave."

"Now just a minute," called a deep voice from behind them. "I'd like to have a word with you, General."

Aumuna turned and smiled warmly.

"Good to know _someone_ still respects that title."

A massive, reptilian Beastman strode towards them, a truly enormous piece of lead piping resting on his shoulder. He approached the duo and bowed courteously.

"I do not know if you recall my name or face, Madame, but I am Ramchak, and I am at your service."

"Good old Ramchak!" exclaimed Aumuna, practically beaming in her happiness. "Polite to a fault, but loyal to the same."

"Pardon me, but I cannot guarantee the truth of that latter statement," said Ramchak humbly. "To survive, Madame, I had to make certain compromises...although, I assure you, my thoughts were always on your eventual rescue."

"Don't sweat it, big guy," reassured the Beastwoman, reaching up to pat the crocodile-Beastman on the cheek. "You were a little late, though. I've already been rescued, by my little friend here."

Ramchak leaned down to examine Simon closely. The boy shrunk in his seat, intimidated by the looming reptilian giant.

"Quite interesting," rumbled the Beastman pensively. "A human piloting a Ganman. And an unknown, miniature type at that. I am intrigued."

"I don't know but I'm sure it's a long story and we just don't have time," shot Aumuna quickly, stalling the tide of questions that were coming. "Are there any weapons here?"

"None to speak of, sadly," said Ramchak apologetically. "However, I shall make do with this." He lifted his pipe, and let it drop back onto his shoulder. It landed with a thud.

"Good for you. Now, are there any others you think would join me?"

Ramchak nodded, then pulled a strange device out of his pocket. He pressed a button on it.

"A simple pager," he explained. "I'm sure they've heard news of this encounter. They will be along shortly."

True to Ramchak's words, almost immediately another reptilian Beastman appeared. His face was more human than most, though his skin was scaled. Spines ran down his back, and his body was covered in a skin-tight dark jumpsuit.

"They never caught me," his hoarse voice rustled. "Just decided to tag along, is all."

"Vilse, you damn sneak," chuckled Aumuna. "Now why didn't you rescue me earlier?"

"Couldn't get in. Too much security, even for me. Also, had to take care of Lakram."

"I need...I need them..." whispered a pained voice. From around a corner lurched a despondent figure, clad in only a loincloth. As he got closer, Simon saw that he was covered in scales and had a mouth that gaped open. He was thin to the point of emaciation, and walked like a man half-dead.

He fell to the ground in front of Aumuna and stretched his pleading hands towards her.

"Need them...Need boomies..."

"You buffoon, you've been mixing your own explosives for over thirty years now," scolded Ramchak. "Surely you can wait another several minutes."

"Can't..." wheezed the aquatic Beastman. "Not powerful enough..."

"Pathetic as always," grunted Aumuna, kicking the prone Beastman punitively. "You'll just have to wait until we need something really big blown up."

The fish-Beastman rose to his feet, glared at her sulkily, and slinked off while muttering sourly.

"Make sure he doesn't wander too far," ordered Aumuna. Vilse nodded and vanished into thin air.

"How does he do that?" wondered Simon.

"Camouflage," said Aumuna brusquely. "Now, you might want to consider ducking."

Simon knew better than to question the lioness. He ducked just as a sharp piece of metal whizzed over his head.

"Dammit, Aumuna, you made me miss!" roared a voice, bouncing around the maze of metal.

"You're a pretty pathetic sniper if you have to yell profanities every time you miss!" yelled back Aumuna.

"I do just fine because I don't miss that often!" replied the voice reprehensively.

There was a whistling sound, and another Beastman fell down from one of the metallic structures. He landed on one knee, the pipes underneath him clanging in protest. He stood and smiled a jackal's grin.

"Hey, babe," he sneered. "Miss this dog?"

"I'd hardly miss such a mangy half-breed," sniffed the Beastwoman. "But I guess it's nice to see you."

"Cold as ice, just as always! I don't know why I even bother!" His eye turned, and he regarded Simon analytically. "Now who's this brat?"

"He rescued me," said Aumuna coldly. "Something _you_ never bothered with."

"Well, then I must congratulate him!" The jackal-Beastman smiled toothily and leaned forward, his hand extended. Simon took it cautiously, and the Beastman shook it up and down heartily. Then, suddenly, he leaned in closely and whispered in his ear.

"Thank you _so_ much for bringing this naggy feline slave driver back to us."

"Said feline has _very_ good hearing." Suddenly the jackal-Beastman was pulled back forcefully. He howled with laughter as Aumuna glared at him.

"Ignore Sekiga," snapped the lioness. "He's the dumbest of the bunch."

"Sure, ma'am, but it's not my brain you're interested in, is it?"

"No, it's your shooting skills." Aumuna let him go, reached into her belt, and pulled out a pistol. "What can you do with this?" She tossed it to him.

Sekiga took the pistol, checked it thoroughly, and sighted down the barrel at some unseen target.

"Not the classiest thing," he grunted, "but she'll do in a pinch."

He pulled the trigger, and a sharp bang echoed out into the maze of pipes.

"The hell, Sekiga?" roared Ramchak. "Now Muris'll think we're attacking him!"

"Don't piss your pants," said the jackal. "I only shot some guard that was standing there looking at something with his binoculars. Serves the bastard right; I think it's the same guy who locked me in the cells the other day."

"Oh! Half-breed!" said Simon with sudden understanding. "I bet you have a hawk's eyes or something like that!"

Sekiga turned, slowly, and fixed the human boy with an amazingly potent deathglare.

"It's kind of a sore point with him..." muttered Ramchak regretfully.

"Well, God knows they work," interjected Aumuna. "But, thanks to the tiny size of his brain, we now have to run for our lives again. Move your asses, soldiers!"

* * *

Far, far away, the binoculars held in a guard's hand shattered. He fell to the ground, bleeding from his left eye.

* * *

Even further away, Yoko twitched in her sleep. She muttered something incomprehensible, of which the only audible word was "show-off".

* * *

Their run took them around and through the alleys of steel and iron. Sekiga regularly scaled small towers to check for pursuit.

"They're getting pretty close," he reported one time as he dropped down from above.

"Well, figures," muttered Aumuna. "Let's get as far as we can before getting into a fight."

They continued on, pushing to cover as much distance as possible. Eventually a massive steel door loomed into sight, and they pushed even more, with the hope of outrunning their pursuers.

Then a squad of armed guards marched around a corner ahead and aimed their rifles at the fleeing prisoners.

"Ramchak!" called out Aumuna. The massive crocodile grunted in response, and with a bestial roar he swung his pipe. A gust of wind rushed out as he effortlessly smacked the majority of the guards hard enough to send them flying across the ground. Sekiga took quick aim and picked off the rest.

"Good to know you haven't gotten rusty," complimented Aumuna as she snatched up another rifle. She picked up a second and tossed it at Sekiga. "Take this. You deserve it."

"A machine gun? You insult me," whined Sekiga.

"Do I _look_ like I have a high-performance rifle on me?"

Sekiga sniffed unappreciatively, but took the rifle all the same. They continued towards the door. They quickly arrived at its base...with no way to get through.

"Damn! Cockblocked," moaned Sekiga.

"For that sort of language, you get to stand guard at the top of that tower and pop the heads of anyone that comes to close."

"You've used worse," he muttered before slinking off.

"Asshole," murmured Aumuna. Then she called out, "Vilse!"

"Here," came the voice out of nowhere before the chameleon reappeared. "I have brought Lakram."

The fish-Beastman trudged out of the shadows, now clothed in nondescript prisoner's garb.

"Got anything to blow through this?" asked Aumuna.

"No, of course not!" replied Lakram. "Well...actually, maybe. But it's my deathbomb!"

"I'll kill you if you don't use it!"

"Neverrrrr, I won't use it!"

While they bickered, Simon sighed and summoned a drill. He pointed it, and it speared through the wall effortlessly. He then summoned another and, using both together, he easily enlarged the hole so even Ramchak could make it through.

Aumuna stared at the neat hole, stunned. She recovered quickly, though, and ordered everyone through. Sekiga appeared and loped after them.

Behind the door were a small, rectangular chamber, and a door for an elevator.

"Let's go, everyone!" ordered Aumuna. "No sense waiting for them to shut down the elevators on us!"

They filed in, one by one. Lakram went last, and as he went in he dropped something behind him. The doors snapped closed.

"Lakram, what was that?" asked Aumuna sternly.

"Nothing, ma'am," said Lakram innocently. The elevator began to rise.

...And, as it did, a massive quake rumbled through the earth.

"Oh, that one felt goooooooood," moaned Lakram, shivering. His eyes rolled back into his head.

Everyone else studiously ignored him.

_"Over halfway there,"_ thought Simon hopefully.

"It's full speed ahead from here on out!" announced Aumuna. "Best be ready, because there ain't no gettin' off o' this train we on! No breaks, no stops, no rests!"

She looked up with a grin.

"Next stop: the surface!"

**If y'all are liking this. You may like Words or the fics by 1 over 0 as well.**

**Also, the side story, Nucleotide: Shades of Gray is out. It chronicles the adventures of Rossiu, Kinon, and of Mito Khan's, like how this story chronicles Simon, Yoko, and Ribo.**

**Gainax owns Gurren Lagann, all OCs and Centrallio belong to me and 1 over 0.**


	13. The Ballroom Blitz Part 5

**Gainax owns Gurren Lagann and everything related to it.**

* * *

Level Five

* * *

Simon, Aumuna and the rest burst out of the elevator and didn't stop. They continued running as fast as possible across the long catwalk in front of them. Underneath them, the surface of a massive body of water rippled calmly.

"Water tanks," explained Aumuna in between breaths. "Actually, just one big one. It's used down below, to cool the generators and create the steam needed to turn the turbines. It's drawn in from outside, and - wait, why am I explaining this?"

"I'd be happy to fill in," offered Ramchak genially. "The water is drawn in from outside, and purified via - "

"I'll pass, thanks," interjected Simon hastily.

"Well, it's a straight shot at least," said Sekiga. "Straighter'n Vilse, anyways, though that ain't saying much."

The chameleon shot the sniper a glare. Sekiga shrugged; the jibe had really been unnecessary, but he really just couldn't pass up the chance.

"Water! I love water!" yelled Lakram happily. "Water, water, where all the fishies live! Will all the fishies come to play?"

At that moment several humanoid fish creatures burst out of the water and aimed automatic weapons at the escapees.

"And those are the workers that clean the tank and do various work outside," added Ramchak helpfully. "They are capable of withstanding rather extreme amounts of pressure, as is required to perform their duties."

"Yay, fishies! Have some presents!" yelled Lakram cheerfully, tossing several suspicious packages into the water.

Shortly afterwards, the water exploded, sending waves over the catwalk and nearly sending Sekiga swirling off into the depths. He caught the railing, however, and managed to hold on.

Afterwards the fish-Beastmen were nowhere to be seen.

"Impressive," complimented Ramchak. "I would speculate that the resulting shockwave would pulverize the internal organs of any survivors. Nice thinking, Lakram!"

"Yessssss~" moaned Lakram pleasurably.

Sekiga hauled himself back over the railing and glared at Lakram.

They plodded carefully across the slippery metal, reached the elevator, and ascended once more.

* * *

Level Four

* * *

"Storage! Yes! I'm gonna find me a proper rifle!"

"No leaving the group, Seki, or I stab you in the back. With both swords."

"Killjoy..."

The group ran around huge piles of crates, each one stamped with letters unreadable to Simon's untrained eye. They zoomed past scores of Beastmen hauling things around, too tired to even look up at them.

Aumuna skidded around a corner, immediately skidded back, and ducked behind cover as a wall of bullets whizzed past.

"Yeah, looks like they finally caught on properly," she grumbled. "Pain in the ass."

"I'm all out of boomies..." moaned Lakram.

"There're about four stacks of high explosives back the way we came. Go if you have to."

The aquatic Beastman practically squealed in joy, and scurried off to find his friends.

"I thought we weren't supposed to leave the group?" asked Sekiga, irritated.

"Plans change," grunted Aumuna. "We're splitting up now."

"But babe, I still love you!"

Aumuna replied to that by spin-kicking the jackal-Beastman so hard he went flying.

"I wouldn't worry," inserted Ramchak cheerfully. "Sekiga can look after himself."

"He'll probably show up, loaded up with some kind of high-tech rifle, save our lives, and rag on all of us for not being as great as he is," muttered Aumuna disparagingly.

"In my experience...that _is_ how it usually works," admitted Ramchak.

"No helping it. Now let's get moving. Ramchak, if I remember correctly, the heavy weapons are in ... that direction." She pointed in the direction opposite from the direction Sekiga flew off in. "Load up and report back at the elevator."

"I will do my utmost to please," rumbled the croc-Beastman before thundering off.

"So what am I supposed to do? Dig?" asked Simon.

"Hell no!" reprimanded Aumuna. "There're God only knows how many electrical wires and gas lines running through the floor. So-"  
"Who's God and how does he know so much?" asked Simon innocently.

Aumuna opened her mouth to reply, stopped, scratched her head, and finally sighed.

"Long story," she said. "_Very_ long. Let's just get going."

Just then, a series of explosions went off from another part of the chamber. Plumes of flame and smoke rolled upwards, and the screams of the dying shrieked through the air.

Aumuna whistled appreciatively. "Yeah, I definitely want out of here before Lakram burns the whole goddamn place down."

She took Lagann by the arm, whirled, and tossed Simon around the corner into a storm of bullets.

Luckily, the canvas popped up to protect him. Instead of being filled with bullets, he found himself barrelling straight towards a group of anonymous guards clad in heavy armour and wearing nondescript faceplates.

Swallowing, he summoned some drills.

The work was short. Aumuna trotted around the corner and picked up a new rifle from the corpses, as well as some grenades and a strange tube with a pointed, round object at the end.

"I've never actually experienced Halloween, but it must be something like this!" she said cheerfully. "Lots of death and plenty of treats. You want some?"

Simon shook his head to indicate no. He put Lagann into a jog towards the other end of the chamber.

Behind them, there was the roar of gunfire and another, more bestial roar.

"There's Ramchak," muttered the lioness. "A real Jekyll-Hyde, that one. Never get on his bad side, ever."

"Jekyll-Hyde?" murmured Simon in confusion.

They continued on, tearing through several more squads. They were about halfway through when a new sound blasted through the cavern. It was a familiar sound to Simon: the grinding and groaning of thousands of intricate mechanical parts, all moving in unison, creating one holistic being.

It was a -

"GANMAN!" yelled Aumuna, pulling Lagann behind a stack of crates as a massive, hulking form landed behind them. She pulled out the weapon she had scavenged earlier.

"It's called an RPG," she told Simon as she stood and fired.

The object at the end rushed out with a spurt of smoke and flame, and impacted with the Ganman's left arm. The entire limb blew off, and the machine reeled backwards.

Simon rushed forwards. This was something he could deal with.

Within seconds, no less than four drills were embedded in the Ganman's torso. The mechanical beast blew apart with a satisfying explosion.

"Damn, kid," said Aumuna, whistling. "You sure know how to pilot."

"I've had a lot of practice," replied Simon.

Then he noticed something: a peculiar shadow, growing on top of Aumuna. He looked up...

And saw a Ganman falling.

Surprised, he could not react in time. Aumuna looked at him queerly, unaware of the impending danger. She would die.

...But before that happened, there was a peculiarly familiar gunshot. The Ganman was hit from the side by something, and sent crashing into a pile of crates.

There was a howling from far off.

"Egotistical little bastard," grumbled Aumuna as she stalked up the Ganman's prone body, opened up the cockpit, and stabbed downwards repeatedly with one of her swords. Then she walked back.

"You aren't going to take it?" asked Simon.

"What, the Ganman? Please. A puny grunt model like that isn't worth my time."

She stalked off, and Simon followed her. His questions were only growing.

* * *

Several light skirmishes later they were at the door, waiting.

"Vilse?" asked Aumuna.

"Right here," hissed the lizard as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Good. I figured you'd make it here on your own."

There was a thumping, clanging sound, and Ramchak appeared from around the corner, loaded up with more weapons than Simon could count.

"Please forgive me, General, I believe I may have helped myself a little too eagerly," he apologized.

"Ramchak, you've saved my life over two dozen times that I remember. I trust you know what you're doing."

"What about _my_ life-saving tally? I figure I racked up at least one more today!"

Sekiga fell into view, carrying a very fancy rifle.

"You made up for it by being a general jackass," said Aumuna darkly. "Shut your trap before I stab you."

"Honey, you'd better shut your trap so that _I_ can stab _you_."

Before the imminent murder occurred, there was a series of explosions and the pounding of several mechanical feet.

"That's Lakram," said Aumuna tiredly. "Ramchak, please take care of him while I call the elevator."

Ramchak grunted, aimed, and let loose with two very large gatling guns. Lakram ran towards them, pursued by the burning wreckage of three Ganmen.

"Did you see did you see did you see?" he panted excitedly. "They were all like 'boom' and the smoke was like 'woosh' but then it was all over and I felt tired."

Sekiga muttered something incomprehensible, and Simon was somehow glad he hadn't heard it.

"Elevator's here! Everyone in!" called Aumuna. The six warriors squeezed into the elevator. The doors closed, and it began to rise.

"Well, that was surprisingly easy," said Aumuna.

The elevator squealed, shuddered, and halted suddenly.

"I _told_ you to shut your yap," deadpanned Sekiga.

"God, I am _so_ going to kill you someday," hissed the lioness as she jumped up and smashed open the roof of the elevator.

"Everybody up! Sekiga gets to carry Lakram!"

"Bitch," muttered the jackal as he slung his rifle over his shoulder and hoisted the fish-Beastman onto his back.

Aumuna grabbed hold of the elevator cable and began shimmying up. Vilse simply scrambled up the wall as if he were built for it, which he was. Simon looked at Aumuna questioningly, and she nodded in approval. He engaged Lagann's thrusters and ascended.

"Fucking cheaters," complained Sekiga as he laboriously hauled himself up the rope.

"Ramchak! You doing all right?" asked Aumuna.

"Yes!" grunted back the crocodile from down below. His powerful arms easily handled both his massive bulk and the truckload of weapons he was carrying.

"All right, then! Level Three is next!"

* * *

Level Three

* * *

"Research labs?"

"You bet!"

Several mutated Beastmen lumbered out of their holding cells. Aumuna shot them down with no hesitation and no pity, and then reloaded.

"Let's leave some for the rest of us," complained Sekiga.

"Complainers will be punished via savage beating!"

Two more mutants skidded around the corner. Sekiga aimed quickly and pegged both between the eyes.

"Killsteal!" snapped the lioness.

"Oh, shut up."

There was a clanking and a whirring from behind them. Simon turned his head to see what was pursuing them.

Some crazy scientist was laughing as he piloted a kind of armoured exoskeleton down the hall towards them. Ramchak tried firing with his gatling guns, as the scientist himself was clearly exposed, but some kind of force field repelled the bullets.

"Well, shit," muttered Aumuna. "Guess I'd better take this one myself."

While the others ran on, she skidded to a halt and ran back towards the strange demi-Ganman. As it reached towards her with a clawed, metal hand, she slid underneath. Once behind, she leapt, unsheathed her swords, and came crashing down on top of the force field.

And, somehow, it broke. She sliced straight through the scientist and several miscellaneous pieces of metal, and sprinted to catch up as the mech exploded in a shower of metal.

"Why don't they ever build anything that doesn't explode?" she asked through gritted teeth.

As if in answer, another explosion went off up ahead as she approached a corner in the hall. Moments later, something whizzed by and slammed into the wall, sliding down it and leaving a bloody trail.

"Lakram!" she gasped, rushing forwards.

"That was a good boomie..." wheezed the fish-Beastman.

"There was another one up ahead! Lakram took it down with some of his explosives, and then..." Simon's explanation cut off as he saw Lakram's condition. He brought Lagann to a halt and looked miserably at the explosives nut.

There was a large, unidentifiable piece of metal jutting out from his stomach area. His breathing was shallow, and blood leaked from his mouth. His face was twisted in pain.

"Oh no. Should I pull it out?" asked Simon, pointing to the piece of metal.

"No, dammit! He's not like me. You'll only worsen it." The lioness turned towards her fallen comrade. "Hush now, Lakram. Talk to me."

"I'm dying," he said, oddly calmly and comprehensibly.

"...Yes."

"No hope?"

"Not with what we have on hand."

"Well then." He looked at the ceiling. "Can I have some of your boomies?" 

* * *

When the guards caught up, they found one of the prisoners pinned to the wall and covered in various explosives. As they trudged forward cautiously, his head lifted, and he looked at them hazily.

"I remember my first time," he said, looking far off into the distance. "My daddy let me play with a grenade. I threw it and ducked, and it exploded. It felt so good." He moaned. "Oh, how good those days were."

He reached into the folds of his clothes, and pulled out a strange black sphere, about the size of a large marble.

"My life's work," he explained sleepily. "I don't know half the stuff that's in it. I don't even think half the stuff is even supposed to exist. But y'know what..."

He looked at them, and light flared behind his dull eyes.

"I just know it's going to be my best time yet."

He left behind nothing but ashes.

* * *

Level Two

* * *

Nothing was said as they made their way through long hallways of offices. Everything was oddly silent, as if the world held its breath in anticipation of something.

Nobody knew what to say. What could possibly be said?

So it was that they burst out into the courtyard in complete silence, and faced down the small army there in the same grim silence.

Floodlights burned down on them, surrounding them in a circle of stark white. Ahead of them were visible the shapes of several Ganmen, and the outlines of a couple of squads.

"...Well, shit," cursed Sekiga, breaking the silence.

"Prisoners of Centrallio!" blared a harsh voice over a megaphone. "You have this one chance to save your lives. Should you surrender, you will keep your lives, and we will avoid wasting valuable ammo. Should you choose to continue resisting, however, we will not hesitate to kill you."

"If you might have my honest opinion, General, we should have been expecting this," rumbled Ramchak dejectedly.

"No shit," added Sekiga. "Looks like we're dead. Too bad I'll die a virgin - oh wait. I'm not a virgin. Sorry, I have no regrets."

"Liar..." hissed Aumuna.

"Lagann can probably take just about anything they throw," Simon said. "I might fit Sekiga, but as for the rest of you..."

"Won't Ms. Leader be just fine, though?" asked the jackal.

"I can tell you from experience that regenerating from a chunky salsa is a very long and very painful process," informed Aumuna. "I don't think we'll have to resort to that yet, though. Where's Vilse?"

"Actually -" began the sniper before cutting himself off. "That's a good question."

One by one the floodlights flickered and died. Darkness retook the courtyard.

"What the hell?" exclaimed the megaphone. There was a general murmur of confusion.

Then, soldiers started dying suddenly and without explanation.

Simon and co. took the opportunity to duck back inside the office building, as their enemies began opening fire in random panic. Ramchak let loose with his gatling guns, downing several, and when those ran out of ammo he ditched them and pulled out two massive rocket launchers. Before long the enemy forces were a burning wreck.

"Could've been a Gurren..." murmured Aumuna softly and with a touch of regret. Simon looked at her strangely, but decided to let it pass.

They walked out into the chaos. Ahead was the elevator, their portal to above.

"Only one more floor to go," said Aumuna happily.

"Too bad Lakram couldn't be here to see this..." said Ramchak quietly.

A grim silence settled over them again. Simon felt their pain, but was not actually a part of it. As such he took it on himself to lead them, and trudged Lagann forward. Aumuna followed behind him, while Sekiga and Ramchak mutely covered their flank.

Behind them, a burning soldier lifted his arm, in which was held a pistol, and fired at Aumuna's back before collapsing in a broken heap.

The lioness whirled...and saw Vilse, standing behind her, his camouflage flickering strangely.

"Vilse..." she murmured softly.

"All those years ago...I told you. Whether seen or unseen, I am always at your side."

"I would have survived that. You know that."

"I did not do this for you." The chameleon's reptilian eyes darted over her shoulder. "I did it for him. The bullet would have gone straight through you, to him."

Simon looked on, blankly.

"He is a true warrior...a great leader...and above all, young. I am old. There should not have even been one survivor." He nodded. "Yes, I am sure of it. He should be the one to survive."

Aumuna turned away, her face hidden in shadow.

"Good-bye, Vilse."

"I am sorry...General."

Without looking back, she approached the elevator door, and kicked it open much as she had back on the lowest level. She leapt in, grabbed the cable, and made her way up.

Simon and Ramchak followed wordlessly, not looking back to watch as Vilse's camouflage went haywire.

He lived in the shadows, and would die the same way.

* * *

Level One

* * *

The army on the level below had only been a small army.

It had only been a tiny fraction of Centrallio's total forces.

Their legs aching, the four survivors continued their headlong dash up Centrallio's central tower. As they ran, windows blew out, Ganmen broke through the walls, and troops of heavily armed soldiers met them in combat.

"Why does the control room have to be at the very top of this tower?" panted Simon as he forced Lagann to jump up yet another flight of stairs.

"Aesthetics?" offered the lioness as she jumped up the same flight on her own two legs.

"Don't go so fast!" complained Lakram as he thundered up behind them.

"Yeah, it's not easy, covering his fat ass," added Sekiga as he shot down yet another Ganman through the window. "Too many damn windows. They can track us wherever we go."

A Ganmen broke through the wall ahead of them. Simon drilled it, and it fell back to the earth, smoking.

"I think I can take us straight to the top," he said, looking out through the hole. "Everybody, grab on to Lagann!"

"Why did you not tell us this earlier?" exclaimed Sekiga, enraged.

They formed a chain, and Simon engaged the boosters. He struggled a bit, but soon they were soaring up to the top.

"Oh look, we're popular," said Sekiga in response to the hordes of Ganmen and aerial troopers that followed them. He fired downwards, managing to get several Ganmen. "I can't reload with one hand. Care to help me?"

Sekiga was holding on to Ramchak's leg, who was holding on to Aumuna's leg, who was holding on to Lagann. With their free hands they grabbed grenades, rocket launchers, machine guns, anything they could get their hands on, and rained down death on the army below.

"They're catching up! Go faster!" urged Aumuna. Indeed, the army, though depleted in size, was gaining.

Simon strained himself. His spiral gauge lit up, and the booster flared. In a chain they rocketed up and smashed into an open hangar at the top of the tower.

"Control room should be right on top!" said Aumuna. "Let's go!"

"I'll hold them off!" offered Ramchak.

"No!" yelled back Aumuna. "Not you, too!"

"But, General, it was inevitable." The croc smiled, showing off his large, sharp teeth. "I always knew I'd give my life for you."

"This is an order!"

"General, I'm going to have to disobey that order." The croc turned to face the entrance to the hangar. "This is for the success of the mission."

Aumuna looked like she wanted to argue. However, in the end, she closed her mouth and pressed her lips together tightly before turning to go. Simon followed her.

They entered the last elevator just as the enemy came up into the entrance. Behind them was a great roar followed by the sound of explosions and gunfire.

* * *

The control room was wide and spacious, covered on all sides by windows. After so long running through the dark, Simon found it refreshing to gaze out at the blue, clear sky. For just a moment he relaxed.

"Digger. I'm almost done." Aumuna finished clicking some keys. "I'm lucky they haven't found my secret access codes yet. Otherwise, it would have taken forever to get in here." She pointed to the screen. "I'm about to turn off the entire base. Are your friends ready?"

Simon nodded. "Yes."

"Then summon them." She clicked a final button.

There was an immediate whining sound as several thousand individual defence mechanisms powered down. The lights flickered and went out. Everything went down; all of the screens went blank, all of the computers shut down.

Simon lifted Lagann's hand, on which was a single drill. He fired it up, and it punched through the roof.

Until now, Sekiga had stood off to the side silently. Now he stepped forward and gazed up through the hole. He watched as the drill exploded and scattered brilliant emerald stars in a spiral pattern across the sky.

"What now?" he asked.

"Dai-Gurren will come," said Simon."

"You guys can wait here," said Aumuna, walking back over to the elevator. "I have some business to attend to."

"There's nothing down there but blood and bones by now," said Sekiga bluntly.

"What, you thought I was going to try and rescue him? I'm going to pick up a package. Something I found."

She stepped into the elevator and pressed the down button.

"When your friends get back here, tell them I said hi."

The doors closed.

* * *

The smell of smoke and death rushed in as the elevator doors opened.

The lioness stepped out into it. She had cast off most of her weapons, leaving only the swords on her waist. No more was needed.

Off to the side, a burned and blackened pile of body parts was scattered across the floor. She did not look at it; nor did she notice the scaly, leathery skin that covered it, broken and peeling in parts as a result of the heat.

Ahead of her lay a wasteland of dead bodies and broken Ganmen. Small fires burned everywhere, and the smell of blood and burning bodies filled her nostrils.

Only one Ganman was left standing. It loomed over her, intimidating. Behind it a spiked tail flickered back and forth.

"You were a fool, Aumuna," intoned the pilot in a deep bass.

"Fool? Me?" She scoffed. "You underestimate me."

"Nobody escapes Centrallio, least of all special prisoners such as yourself. Not while I am in command."

"Now you overestimate yourself, Minos. You always did have an ego."

"Overestimate?" The bull's legs stamped the ground, and the tower shuddered. "Which one of us is in a Ganman?"

"A pathetic, shoddily built piece of junk!" snapped the lioness.

"My Minotaur is a work of art! You could never hope to match it on foot."

"Impudent wretch," she snarled. She unsheathed her swords, and a whining hum filled the air. "Allow me to teach you a lesson.  
Then she was gone. Before the towering minotaur Ganman could react, its arm had detached itself from its shoulder. It thudded to the ground just as Aumuna landed behind it.

"Impossible!" yelled the Ganman.

"No," Aumuna snarled as she dashed forward and slashed apart a leg. "Not for me."

The Ganman teetered, and then fell as she savaged the other leg. She leaped on top of it, and with two quick slices the cockpit was torn open.

"God help me," the minotaur pilot breathed in terror.

"He's otherwise engaged at the moment."

Blood painted the cockpit.

Reaching in, Aumuna fished a small cube out of the gory mess that remained.

"I have lost too many men today," she said softly. "Now I must repay them in blood. Blood shall have blood, as they say. And yours is not enough."

She leapt back to the ground, marched to the centre of the floor, and kicked aside a stray limb. Crouching, she placed the cube into a small slot in the floor.

The cube lit up with green light, light that spiralled out along the floor to the walls. The floor opened, and from it a new Ganman rose, larger than any ever seen before.

"It's been too long," she said softly. "Come on. I have a debt to pay."

* * *

In the control room above, Simon sat back tiredly in Lagann's cockpit. He had had barely even a moment's rest since he had broken into Centrallio. Now he relaxed, if only briefly.

"Confident, aren't we?" asked Sekiga rhetorically from where he crouched in the corner of the room.

"We are the Dai-Gurren Brigade," said Simon simply. "Once we get started, we'll pierce the heavens with our spirit. Nothing can stop us."

"That's a fine attitude," said Sekiga simply in response. He rested his rifle on his knees. "I used to think that way."

"Really?" said the digger, not really listening.

"Yeah. And then I saw how small I really was. Take a look outside, and you'll see what I'm talking about."

Simon turned his gaze over to the window. What he saw there startled him into silence.

Somehow, Centrallio had even _more_ Ganmen than they had already seen. They rose up in a dark swarm from the fortress' depths, a horde of sinister and twisted forms. They were Enkis, and Enkigilgas, and yet more variations thereof, and even some units they hadn't seen yet. Simon watched as they ascended into the sky, turning the day into night through sheer numbers.

"...I've seen more," said Simon simply.

"What."

"Teppelin had way more Ganmen."

"Teppelin? Wait, when-"

Sekiga's question was cut off abruptly by a grinding, tearing sound. He ran over to the window and peered down, at the roof of the hangar below them. It was being slowly but surely torn apart, rent into sheets of useless, broken metal. Below, something was clawing its way free.

"Fuuuuuuck," swore Sekiga.

Whatever was below became impatient. The tearing stopped momentarily. Then, a giant beam of light shot up, reducing the metal to vapour. The light blinded Sekiga, while Simon was barely spared thanks to his digger's goggles.

"I always knew that light-diffusion function would be useful someday," he mused, oddly calm.

"Oh, we are so screwed," whined Sekiga as he cowered behind a desk.

The light faded, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake. Soon, even the smoke disappeared, whipped away by the high-altitude winds. And when the smoke disappeared, a cloaked shape rose up. Its back was to the digger, and so he could not make out much but the long metal cape it wore and the huge, rectangular shape that hung on its back. However, at the top, he could just barely see a head topped with a crown-like shape.

"Holy crap," breathed Sekiga as his vision returned.

"That's the biggest Ganman I've ever seen," said Simon. "No, wait - Dekabutsu was bigger. It's still pretty big. Bigger than Dai-Gurren, even!"

"No, you idiot! That's - that's the Gilgamesh!"

Towering over everything else, it stood tall, its cape moving slightly in the wind. Its massive arms, the size of two large trucks, were folded easily across its chest, and its long legs, the approximate size of apartment buildings, were spread wide and firmly. Twenty green points glowed across its body - the levispheres necessary to keep it afloat. Its face was angular and solid, like a knight's helm, and two glowing gold eyes were set deep inside. Atop its head it really did wear a crown, shaped like the turret of a gigantic castle.

"Fifty years, and you never managed to crack his locks?" boomed out a familiar, confident voice. "Either Sis has lost her touch, or I was better than I gave myself credit for!"

"Aumuna?" said Simon, suddenly feeling small.

"Former General of the East..." breathed Sekiga in awe. "Ex-Commander of the Gurrens...the most celebrated Beastman soldier ever to live...the Raging Wave of Fire...Aumuna Syndras!"

The cloud of Ganmen advanced. Half of them charged wildly, while the other half held back and charged their CPCs.

Gilgamesh held out a hand, and several dark objects flew out and surrounded it.

A blue barrier went up, and the wave of power crashed against it. Hundreds of Ganmen were shredded by the collision of the two forces.

"Defense systems are working, at least," said Aumuna analytically. "I don't know how well they've been maintaining you, so I'm sorry if I end up pushing you too far."

She raised the other arm, and brought both hands together. A red glow grew between them. With a roar she separated them both, and a flurry of crimson missiles flew out, impaling Ganmen and exploding in bright spheres of destructive energy. The ranks of the enemy were decimated.

"Holy crap..." gasped Sekiga in awe. "I'd forgotten just how scary she is, when she's in the cockpit. And that thing can only be at...what...50% power, max."

Simon didn't even have the breath left to gasp. He just sat there and watched in shocked silence.

Remnants of the enemy forces were still scattered about. They were beginning to regroup, and looked torn between fighting and running for their lives. Already there was a group that had deserted, and they were already nothing but dark specks on the horizon. The rest could not decide whether orders took precedence over personal survival.

Aumuna wouldn't give them the chance to decide.

"Let's see if your favourite weapon is still in good shape, shall we?" she asked her Ganman. She moved the controls, and one hand moved up to the hilt on its back.

A hundred locks disengaged. The massive, double-edged, glowing blade detached from the mecha's back, allowing Aumuna to swing it around, up, and in front. She held it out in a fighting stance. It was almost as long as the Gilgamesh was tall, and down the centre pulsed a mysterious core, emerald in colour. It warmed up as Gilgamesh held it.

"All right! One stroke! Let's do this!" She brought it up, and slashed once.

As she did so it pulsated with energy, and a great arc of azure energy sliced out through the air. There was an earth-shattering boom as the superheated air crashed back together in its wake. The arc expanded outwards, engulfing the enemy forces, cutting a great swath through the dark cloud.

"And one last, so that your friends can't help you!"

Gilgamesh floated out and over the fortress. It hovered there, menacing, casting its shadow out over all.

Then it fell, crashing down, levelling over a block of concrete buildings.

It raised its massive sword up high, point down.

And then it slammed it down into the earth.

A blue shockwave crashed out. The immediate area around it was reduced to rubble. Buildings farther away were mercifully spared, simply falling down into heaps of cement. Explosions blasted up, and fire engulfed the fortress.

Gilgamesh stood tall, hands on the hilt of his sword, as Centrallio burned around him.

Simon was finding it hard to breath.

"They had to ambush her during the night, while she was sleeping," informed Sekiga breathlessly. "Because, if she'd been in the Gilgamesh, God himself would have had a hard time taking her in."

Simon was snapped out of his trance by a ringing noise coming from Lagann. He gasped in deep breaths of air, mercifully clean, as the smoke hadn't yet reached its way up to them. He looked at the dashboard, where INCOMING CALL was displayed in big green letters.

"Simon? Simon, do you read? What in the _hell_ was that?"

The familiar, brash voice made Simon come straight back to reality. He resumed his persona as leader of the Brigade, and found that, despite all, he was able to speak calmly and clearly.

"Kittan...that's our new ally."

* * *

Her entrance was loud and undignified. She skidded around the doorframe, sprinted in, tripped, and landed heavily in a pile of books. This, plus the ears and tail, allowed him to identify her almost immediately.

"Kuroko," said Ribo with dull surprise. "Whatever is the matter?"

"You goddamn-! Er, pardon my language, Milord. Why haven't you been answering your communicator?"

"Oh, it's been malfunctioning recently." He pushed back his hair to make absolutely sure that his ear was hidden. "What, is your message really that urgent?"

"Damn straight it is!" She ran over to Ribo's terminal and began punching in codes. "Here, I'll patch you into the one live feed we've got left!"

The screen lit up, and Ribo's eyes went wide.

"Is that..."

"Centrallio, yeah."

"How in the hell-"

"I don't know!" She sounded frustrated. "I got the signal that there was an intrusion on the lowest level, and a prison break!"

"The lowest -" Ribo cut himself off. "Then that means..."

"She's out, yes." Kuroko now began to move into full-out panic mode. "One would be bad, but together...Why wouldn't you respond? I had to run all the way over here from Dai-Gantei! Help me look!"  
She ran over to the book piles and began digging. She looked rapidly through books and tossed them over her head. Several almost hit Ribo. A small black volume whizzed straight towards his face, but he caught it and threw it back at her.

"Kuroko! Stop! I demand to know what you are doing!"

"I'm searching!" She was definitely panicking now. "I can't regain control of Centrallio's systems! She must have shut down the entire grid! There's only one live signal left, a project I started years ago, and it's on a separate grid, but I don't know the code to get in!"  
"How could you not know the code for your own project?"  
"Your father was a paranoid bastard, all right?"

She realized her mistake and stood straight, paralysed with fear. Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Ribo's eyes briefly glared green, but he managed to suppress it this time. The situation was too urgent. She would be reprimanded...but not immediately.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know any codes."

"Try! You would be the only one he'd tell. Either that, or it's got a high probability of being related to you. Think!"

She resumed her digging, hoping to find some document, anything, that would have the code on it. She knew her chances were small; a mind as great as Lordgenome's would not bother to keep anything on paper.

Ribo knew this also. He also knew how much they would lose if they could not recover Centrallio. The stress weighed down on his mind like a tonne of bricks. He strained his mental circuitry to the utmost, trying, hoping to find some hidden memory that would allow him to save the situation.

Then, suddenly, it came.

"7-q-3-1-dot-2," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"I don't know. It came to me."

"...Sounds suspicious..."

She got up from her searching, went over to the computer, and typed frantically.

"Give me a moment to patch in," she said. "I'll just connect to my own system...from there, connect to the signal...punch in those numbers..."

He finger hovered over the Enter key.

"Suspicious numbers..."

She pressed it.

* * *

Mop-up was easier than normal. Dai-Gurren swept in, guns blazing, flanked on both sides by the Brigade. They cleaned up the rest with relative ease. Gilgamesh didn't move; it didn't have to. Merely its presence scared the enemy into submission.

"Here, hop on," said Simon to Sekiga. The sniper squeezed into Lagann.

Simon engaged the thrusters, and flew off to meet with his allies.

They greeted him warmly, and with quite a bit of respect. At first they glared suspiciously at Sekiga, and the jackal himself bared his teeth just a bit in preparation for a fight.

"He's with me," said Simon sternly. "Anybody attacks him, and they have to be willing to go through me."

Things calmed down a bit after that.

"I was so worried!" said Kiyal, hugging Simon tight as he got out of his cockpit for the first time in hours. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Simon!"

She released him jealously as Nia ran up and tackle-hugged him, knocking him straight off his feet.

"Simon, I knew you'd be all right!"

"Thanks, Nia. Yeah, I'm all right."

"Are you sure? You don't look all right."

"I'm fine." Simon tried to hide the dark circles under his eyes. "It was tough, but I made it."

"I hope you don't expect the rest of us to give you hugs," said Kittan, coughing.

"Ah, sorry. Here, let me get to my feet..."

He pulled himself onto shaky legs, Nia hanging onto him.

"I guess I'd better do some introductions. Everybody, this is Sekiga. He was a prisoner in Centrallio. Sekiga, this is the Dai-Gurren Brigade."

"Dai-Gurren..." Sekiga smiled faintly. "I think I'll be right at home here."

"Ya think so, Beastman?" Kittan slammed a fist into his open palm. "We're a pretty tough group, even if I do say so myself. Ya tough enough to handle this?"  
"Easily." He showed off his large, canine teeth. "I may be a sniper, but I can handle myself in any situation."

Kittan's face fell at the mention of the word "sniper". However, nobody noticed because they had all turned their attention to the giant Ganman standing in the middle of Centrallio.

"And that is...?" asked Iraak, pointing to it with an expression of near-reverence.

"...I think it's called the Gilgamesh?" replied Simon.  
"Fools! That's _Lord_ Gilgamesh! And the pilot is none other than the Great Aumuna Syndras!"

"Really weird sensation of deja-vu..." remarked Kidd.

"Ignore it. Clearly it's a coincidence," said Zorthy, who had joined the group. "At least, I hope it's a coincidence..."

Gilgamesh reactivated its thrusters and hovered over to them. A cockpit in the centre opened, and Aumuna leaned out, waving.

"I'm just soooooo much more relaxed now," she said happily. "Say, any of you fellows want to take a ride in this bad boy?" Her assets dangled cheerfully, drawing the attention of every male on board (except Leeron, who was busy playing with a screwdriver).

Kiyal leaned over and punched Simon in the shoulder playfully. He snapped out of his trance and waved back.

"Aumuna! Welcome to the Dai-Gurren Brigade!"

She smiled the way Sekiga did. "I think I'm going to fit right in here."

The Brigade began the process of initiating new recruits, which consisted of two things.

On the one hand, half of the crew was busy questioning Sekiga and trying to get him into a fistfight.

On the other hand, the other half was busy hitting on Aumuna.

"What a surprise, bring along a humongous pair of...swords...and all the guys are swooning over you." Kiyal glared hatefully at the disproportionately endowed Beastwoman.

"But she has three swords," said Nia innocently. "And only one of them is really big."

"You know what, never mind." Kiyal sighed. "Honestly, I'd give anything for something that would get them all to stop paying so much attention to her...er..."

Kiyal was spared the trouble of thinking up a much more suitable metaphor. Before it got more awkward than it had to be, a rumbling started up, and the surface of the sea shook ominously.

"Ganmen! Now!" ordered Simon immediately. "I don't like the sound of this!"

As they were airborne they were not affected by the quake, but the flaming fortress shook back and forth, causing the few remaining structures to crumble like sand.

Then, surprisingly, it began to rise up.

* * *

"Engage separation."

* * *

They could hear things snapping apart underneath the island. The Brigade spread out, anticipating a threat. What would happen next would still surpass their expectations.

* * *

"Extend legs."

* * *

Four thick, solid limbs extended from the island's edges. Each one was thicker than Gilgamesh was, and was jointed in the centre. They bent, coming to a rest on the water's edge.

* * *

"Second-stage separation."

* * *

They pushed down on the water's surface and, somehow, they were able to push down on it. The Brigade listened uneasily as the island's depths ground together and cracked. The fortress, still on fire, was lifted up. The entire island lifted.

* * *

"Final stage." Purring. "Complete transformation."

* * *

A chunk of the island separated from the rest and extended out. As pieces of rock fell away, two baleful red eyes could be seen. With a roar, the chunk of rock split in half horizontally, revealing a mechanical mouth. The head became clear, and stared down the Brigade with untold wrath.

* * *

"Second Generation Aquatic Invunerable Island Dai-Gun Fortress: Dai-Gankame. Engage the enemy."

* * *

A thousand red points lit up along the giant turtle Ganman's shell.

"It's the cannons from before!" yelled Simon. "Everyone, get back now!" He jumped back into Lagann and flew in front, ready to engage a spiral barrier if he had to: even if it cost him his life, he would protect his comrades.

"Sis came up with something new, huh?" said Kuroko calmly. "Well then. Let's see if she's managed to one-up herself, then."

She extended the Gilgamesh's hand, and the barrier set up again.

The red lasers crashed against the blue barrier. For a moment it flickered as if it would break. Then Aumuna roared, and the barrier steadied.

"Let's not waste this!" ordered Simon. "Dai-Gurren! Fire at will!"

The Dai-Gan's cannons engaged, firing down upon the fortress below. Explosions burst out along the flaming ruins of the fortress like small orange flowers.

The turtle barely noticed. It turned slowly to them as if they were insects, and opened its mouth. An orange glow grew, deep in it throat.

"Dammit, move out of the way!" ordered Aumuna, quickly moving the Gilgamesh to intercept while pushing Dai-Gurren out of the way.

The orange glow grew bright as the sun, and an enormous laser shot out of the mouth. The Gilgamesh's barrier held it for a while, but the total force was far too much. Though the barrier did not break, the levispheres were unable to compensate for the kinetic force. The Gilgamesh was blown back, disappearing over the horizon.

The shockwave from the beam's passage sent the Brigade reeling. They were scattered out across the ocean.

"Damn! This is bad!" cried out Kidd. "We can't fight this, Simon! Let's retreat!"

"No!"

There was a moment of stunned silence as the HELCS charged up again.

"I will not retreat!"

The enormous Dai-Gan opened its mouth again.

"Three good men died today, so I could live! I won't disgrace their memories!"

His spiral gauge rose.

"I won't disgrace Kamina's memory, or any of those that have already died!"

He lifted his gaze, and looked down upon what had been Centrallio, all of his fury and rage and sorrow burning in his eyes.

"KIYAL! LET'S COMBINE!"

Kiyal, who had been blown to the other side of island, nodded. Tears were in her eyes.

"Simon! I'm coming!"

With a blast of green light they sped towards each other. The HELCs fired, streaking the sky with violent red beams, but the brave green trails continued unbroken. The island Dai-Gan turned its massive bulk, tracking them with its head.

Just as Kiyal and Simon came together, it fired.

The beam engulfed them. The rest of the Brigade looked on in horror. Nothing could resist that beam. Nothing.

...But then, when it had dispersed, there was Gurren Lagann. It was smoking, and looked a little the worse for wear, but it was still there. Around it burned a faint green aura.

"I'm tired of this guy's bullshit," said Simon. "Let's give him some of his own medicine."

"I think I know what you're thinking," replied Kiyal smoothly. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"I completely agree."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do this!"

They slammed the controls forward together, and Gurren Lagann dove down towards the fortress. The cannons aimed towards them and charged.

"Kiyal! I'm going to need all of your spirit for this!" yelled Simon.

"Simon, you have my all!" yelled back Kiyal. Their earlier failure was not present in their mind. There was no doubt that they would succeed.

The cannons fired.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!"

They roared in unison as they summoned a drill that pulsated with energy. With this drill in front of them they sped forward. The beams of the lasers were somehow, impossibly, shredded into bright ribbons that floated across the sky before gradually breaking up into fine red petals.

"If we keep moving forward, we will overcome all odds!" yelled Simon.

"We couldn't do it before because we were trying to stay where we were!" yelled Kiyal.

"Our strength -"  
"- is in our resolve to advance!"

"THAT IS THE POWER OF DAI-GURREN!" they yelled together.

Gurren Lagann crashed straight into the fortress. It stood tall in its crater and lifted an arm towards one of the cannons that had turned towards it. Summoning a long, thin drill, it speared the cannon. Then, pulling back, it ripped the cannon clean off its moorings.

Green energy enveloped the cannon, and it began twisting and morphing.

"One last attack, Kiyal!" called Simon.

"I'm right behind you!"

Gurren Lagann rose as the beams from the other cannons criss-crossed underneath it. It sped up and above as the head began tracking them again, its laser charging up.

Gurren Lagann came to a halt over the ocean. It slowly turned towards the fortress Dai-Gan. By now the cocoon of green energy had grown to envelope the entire arm.

"We live and die by our will to fight!" began Simon.

"So long as we have our fighting spirit, we will never be broken! And so long as we are never broken, we will never lose our fighting spirit!" continued Kiyal.

"We remember those that have come before, and we make way for those that will come after!"

"That is the way of our Dai-Gurren!"

"Kiyal!"

"Simon!"

They lifted the arm, and the cocoon shattered, revealing something new. The arm was gone, replaced by a new weapon: a long, red cannon, covered in a spiral pattern. At its core spun a drill, and from Gurren Lagann's shoulder spun another drill. Both radiated green energy.

The island Dai-Gan's main cannon finished charging.

"Let's cram that laser back down his throat!"

"Yeah! But first, let's ask him something!"

They steeled themselves, and then drew in a huge lungful of air.

"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!" they bellowed as they let loose with the cannon.

Both weapons fired at the same time. The two beams, orange and green, lanced out, meeting in mid-air.

For one breathless, momentary instant, they were locked in struggle. The two beams pushed against one another, spraying petals of green and gold across the sky, painting the sky with glorious shades of emerald and amber.

Then, the balance shifted in Gurren Lagann's favour.

The two pilots screamed in complete unison as their beam intensified, magnified by the force of their will, and completely overpowered their opponent. The orange beam was forced back, literally crammed down the turtle's throat.

The Dai-Gan's face managed to put on a pained expression.

And then, it exploded.

The entire island was torn apart from the inside out. Gurren-Lagann's beam ripped straight through it, shredding apart the inner workings. Machines and mechanisms went haywire, and delicate reactors exploded. The island burst apart in a conflagration of rock and fire, sending chunks of blackened stone soaring out into the sea for miles.

Sekiga shot down a piece of debris that was about to fall on his head. He regarded Gurren Lagann fondly as it stood there, cannon smoking, blazing crimson in the light of the spectacular explosion.

"Those kids are really something," he murmured.

* * *

Ribo turned away from the blank screen. His breath was coming in short bursts.

"I need to take a walk," he stated to nobody in particular. He grabbed his robe from where it hung on the wall, threw it on, and stalked out.

For her part, Kuroko looked intensely worried. She'd designed the entire Centrallio system in order to prevent exactly what had just transpired. For over fifty years she'd been hoping that they would be sufficient.

Evidently, it had all been for naught. She jumped a little when she heard a loud bang as if a tank shell collided with the metal walls of the hallway.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. The last half a century had been so peaceful. She wasn't accustomed to this level of stress.

"I'll just have to learn to deal," she mumbled to herself. _'And so will he.'_ She stood to leave, shutting off Ribo's terminal as she did so.

"I think I'll go check on my little protégée," she said to herself as she left. She smiled thinly.

"Protégée. Never thought I'd use that word again."

She whistled tunelessly, mournfully, as she ambled down the hallway.

* * *

Simon and Kiyal sat together on the edge of Dai-Gurren's deck.

"...Some battle today, huh?" said Kiyal.

"Yeah," said Simon.

"We did well, didn't we?"

"Yeah."

They sat a while in silence, watching the sunset. The wind blew in their hair. Kiyal looked at Simon, and her heart stopped. His expression was intense as he gazed out to sea.

"I never once had a single doubt," she burst out.

"What?"

"That first time, I was nervous," she admitted. "But today...I could believe in you, Simon. I knew that, with you around, I could do anything."

"'Believe in the me who believes in you'..." murmured Simon.

"What?"

"Or, 'Believe in the you who believes in yourself'. Which one do you think is better?"

"Oh. I...I guess you're right." Kiyal looked downcast. "I can't rely on you forever, I guess."

"Probably," said Simon. "But you know what I think now? I think both of them are right."

"What?" Kiyal was shocked. She'd never heard something like this before.

"It's important to stand on your own, right? But, I think it's also important to be able to stand with others. I think everyone needs to be able to believe in themselves, but I think it's also important to have others that believe in you."

Kiyal looked at him. Simon just looked down.

"I saw some horrible things today," he whispered.

Kiyal was quiet.

"I did some horrible things, too," continued Simon. "I think I've been doing horrible things for a while."

Kiyal had no answer as he looked up at her.

"I believe in the me that believes in myself, but I also believe in the Brigade that believes in me," he said quietly. "Please, Kiyal. Be somebody I can believe in."

Her throat seemed choked up tight. She wanted to say so much, and yet she couldn't.

And then she was interrupted.

"WHERE THE HELL IS THE ISLAND? I COULD SWEAR THERE WAS AN ISLAND OUT HERE!"

They both turned around and saw the Gilgamesh flying towards them.

"Aumuna!" cried out Simon. He waved.

Gilgamesh came close, and the cockpit opened. The lioness stepped out and looked about.

"Okay, did I get the wrong directions or something? Because there was a giant island fortress _right here_."  
"I'm so glad you're alive! I thought you died!"

"Would take more'n that to bring me down," she said simply. "Now, please explain to me what happened to the island."

"We blew it up."  
Aumuna looked at him, blinked twice, and continued staring. Then she slapped him on the back.

"I like your style, kid! You and me, we'll get along just fine! Now, off to Teppelin! Let's take down that bastard Lordgenome next!"

Simon laughed. "That'd be great...except he's already dead."

Aumuna froze. Her head slowly turned towards him and fixed him with a dead, lifeless stare.

"What." She didn't even blink. Her face was devoid of all emotion.

"We took down Lordgenome a while back. Actually, I was the one that killed him."  
The lioness' left eye began to twitch, and her ears flattened against her head in shock.

_"What?"_

* * *

**The Centrallio arc (otherwise known as the Ballroom Blitz) has now drawn to a close. Thanks to everyone who held on to the end.**

**If y'all are liking this. You may like Words or the fics by 1 over 0 as well.**

**Also, the side story, Nucleotide: Shades of Gray is out. It chronicles the adventures of Rossiu, Kinon, and of Mito Khan's, like how this story chronicles Simon, Yoko, and Ribo.**

**Gainax owns Gurren Lagann, all OCs and Centrallio belong to me and 1 over 0.**


	14. Change of Plans

**I do not own Gurren Lagann. GAINAX does. Collaborated with 1 over 0. Any OCs I create belong to me.**

* * *

_Dai-Gurren, over the South Seas._

It is sometimes said that you can tell a lot about a man from the way he fights. In theory, when faced with a life-or-death situation, the brain becomes hard-wired to the body, and every motion, every twitch, is a reflection of one's personality.

If this theory is true, then Aumuna Syndras was loud, brash, arrogant, overconfident, more than a little flirtatious, and above all had a penchant for being drunk and disorderly.

Though not a complete summary of her psyche, this is nevertheless all completely true.

"C'mon, you big _pussies!_" she yelled as she judo-flipped Kidd across the mess hall. "You call this _brawling? Sekiga_ fights better than you, for God's sake!"

The above-mentioned jackal-Beastman sighed and popped open another bottle of liquor. He'd hardly finished draining it before it was grabbed out of his hand and used to bludgeon the drunken catwoman across the back of the head. This only managed to earn the attacker, in this case Zorthy, a fist to the face. He fell backwards out of his wheelchair.

Sekiga sighed again. Beside him, Simon watched in a kind of terrified awe, sometimes tilting left or right to avoid flying cutlery, plates, and other miscellaneous debris.

_In theory_, they had invited Sekiga and Aumuna into Dai-Gurren's mess hall to give them a kind of welcoming banquet, over the course of which they would be accepted into the team. _In practice_, the other pilots had taken the opportunity to start hazing Sekiga. It had started with a drinking contest (which Sekiga had refused to participate in, but which Aumuna had won by default when she managed to down the Old Man's "special blend") then turned into an interrogation (wherein a very drunk Kittan had harassed Sekiga verbally) and from there developed into a full-on brawl (started when an even drunker Aumuna had taken offense to Kittan's harassment of her subordinate and decided to intervene via boot to the head).

Five minutes later, Aumuna was holding her own against the entirety of the Brigade. Some would say she was even winning.

"How does she…?" began Simon.

"I don't even know," replied Sekiga.

Kiyoh and Kiyal yelled and launched a tag-team attack in defense of their brother's honour. The purple-haired Bachika jumped up and came diving down from above, while her blonde sister went low to the ground and aimed for the catwoman's legs.

Aumuna grabbed Kiyal and flipped her upside-down, but was bowled over by Kiyoh's attack. They all went down in a group, and there were several minutes of frantic scuffling. Then Kiyal went flying right into a roasted grape-hippo, and Kiyoh went rolling under a table. Aumuna stood up again, and re-adjusted her new, tight-fitting red top.

"I think it's the alcohol," commented Sekiga morosely. "It's not that she doesn't feel pain. It's that when she's drunk, she goes looking for it."

"You sayin' Imma maso-whatever?" yelled Aumuna, tilting drunkenly to the left and avoiding a thrown plate in the process.

"I didn't say you were looking for pain for yourself!"

"S'okay then!" She whirled around and tossed a piece of fruit back at the pilot who had thrown the plate. Said fruit happened to be a large and very ripe melon, and Iraak went down, head covered in orange melon pulp.

"How did _anyone_ manage to capture and imprison her?" wondered the digger.

"_Very painfully_," answered the sniper Beastman. "And with more than good deal of luck."

Kiyoh had recovered, and from somewhere she'd produced a rolling pin. By general consensus all edged weapons were banned, but anything blunt and presumably non-lethal was still fair game. She charged, yelling at the top of her lungs, and smashed Aumuna in the ribs from behind.

The catwoman replied by smacking the blonde woman in the face with her tail, turning around, grabbing her by the waist, and hoisting her above her head. Kiyoh went straight into a large bowl of punch.

"That was such _good_ punch too," mourned Sekiga. "What a waste."

Kiyal got up and pounced on Aumuna like a cat. They tussled for a while, clawing at each other viciously. Finally, the catwoman was able to get both feet under her aggressor and sent her flying back into the grapehippo. Somehow, at some point her top had come off, and when she stood back up she was bare for the world to see.

"I don't get it," mused the jackal-Beastman, while Simon shut his eyes tightly and turned around in embarrassment. "That _always_ happens at some point. It doesn't matter who she picks a fight with, she _always_ ends up topless."

Kittan had finally come back to his senses from the previous boot to the head. Upon seeing both his sisters lying among articles of food, he immediately shouted an incomprehensible war cry and charged. To his credit, he only stumbled slightly when he realized that his opponent was a half-naked catwoman.

Aumuna dodged his opening punch and responded with one of her own, which hit him squarely between the eyes. Any lesser man would have been knocked cold. Kittan, however, didn't even budge. He grabbed her fist, pulled, and sent his knuckles straight into her face.

Her head was whipped to her left until the bones in her neck brought it to a screeching halt. She froze briefly, and for an instant all fell silent. Then she brought her head back around, and gave Kittan a fanged smile, blood leaking from a crack in her lip.

"You're a cute one, you know that?" she said silkily as the cracked lip healed over. "What's your name again?"

"I'm Kittan 'Kicks Goddamn Ass' Bachika!" he growled. Obviously he was still drunk.

The similarly-drunk Aumuna paused for a moment, looking up into space. "Kittan. Gotta remember that."

Then she gave him a head-butt that caused literal shockwaves to reverberate through the room, and he dropped like a rock. After a moment of rummaging she found her top again and managed to slip it on, upside-down.

The fight raged on for several minutes more, during which time the entire Brigade completely failed to subdue a single drunken Beastwoman. Kiyal was just about to assault her with a frying pan when Nia walked in.

"Oh my! Is there a fight?" she exclaimed worriedly. "Please everyone, don't fight! Surely we don't have to fight to resolve this?"

Then Nia's expression became one of pleading, adorable puppy-eyes. And the raging brawl came to a screeching halt.

* * *

"I'm Dai-Gurren's leader, and I'm going to _officially_ welcome Aumuna and Sekiga into the Brigade." Simon glared around the table. "That means they're our allies, and if you attack our allies, you're attacking _me_. Understand?"

There was a chorus of grumbled understanding from around the meeting room table. The many bruises and minor cuts probably had a part to play in their agreement. Aumuna just lounged idly in her chair and grinned cheerfully at her new brothers-in-arms.

"It's real nice to get properly acquainted with all of you," said Sekiga dryly. "I'm Sekiga. I shoot things, and I do a damn good job of it. This is Aumuna Syndras. You're probably already well-acquainted with what she does."

The assembled warriors gave her a look that roughly translated as '_this is so not over_'. This only caused the Beastwoman's catlike grin to widen.

"We're glad to have you on our side," said Simon quickly, sensing the tension in the air. "Sekiga's an incredible shot, almost as good as Yoko…" He missed Kittan's wince. "…And Aumuna's just as good a pilot. Also, her Ganman is insanely powerful. It's called the…uh…"

"The Righteous King Gilgamesh!" announced Aumuna in a thundering tone, standing and raising her arms to make the point. "Scion of the Sun, Invincible Lord of the Land, King of Heroes, two-thirds god and one-third mortal!"

"…So, basically, the Gilgamesh," finished Sekiga dryly.

"You're no fun, Seki."

"Ooh, but such a magnificent machine _deserves_ a long and manly name~!" Leeron popped out from nowhere and flipped on several screens. Top, bottom, side and front views of the Gilgamesh appeared around the room, couple with lines of statistics. "I don't even know how half of its systems work! And on top of that, it's so much _bigger_ than the others~"

"Bigger _is_ better," agreed the Beastwoman with a cheeky grin that she directed at Kiyal.

Kiyal muttered something irritable and probably vulgar and massaged a gash on her cheek.

"The Gilgamesh," repeated Simon firmly, gathering everyone's attention again. "Leeron, Aumuna, tell us what you can about it."

"Gladly~!" Leeron pulled out a remote and pressed a button. One entire wall lit up with an image of the Gilgamesh, in all its armoured glory, standing next to Gurren Lagann. The former was at least two to three times to size of the latter.

"As you can see, Gilgamesh is much larger than a conventional Ganman!" said the mechanic in a singsong. "Look at those thick arms! Those broad shoulders! Those legs of steel!"

"I like my men big." Aumuna flashed a leer at them. "But seriously, when we designed it, we needed all the room to fit in the systems. The lower abdomen, for example, had to be massive just to fit in the generator."

"Before you ask, yes, she helped design it," interjected Sekiga. "She is, in fact, that frighteningly talented. And don't ask about the other designer. She doesn't like to talk about it."

For the first time, Simon saw a shadow flit across the catwoman's face. It passed quickly, replaced by her usual flirtatious grin. "Don't lie Sekiga, you _like_ being afraid of me."

"Afraid of you? Ha! Besides, _you're_ the one who routinely crawls into _my_ bed."

"Liar! I haven't done that in fifty years."

"Last night was fifty years ago?"

"Keep it up, minion! I've been looking for an excuse to exercise my slapping hand on your mutt ass!"

"Ooh, I've never seen _this_ side of you! Not my thing though, sorry."

Simon coughed awkwardly to interrupt them. "Um, could we please stay on track? Thanks."

"So as Aumuna said," continued Leeron, "the Gilgamesh has a much higher power output than the standard Ganman engine. I've been analyzing its generator, and it's been a positively _enlightening _experience!"

"Most Ganmen run on basically solar power or by an electric battery," added Aumuna. "And for you guys, they'll run on even less than that. The Gilgamesh, on the other hand, has to support both its size and the numerous weapons systems involved. Just getting it flying would take three Ganmen."

"Speaking of which, let's discuss weapons!" Leeron clicked another button, and the screens changed. Footage of their battle played, retrieved from what remained of the Centrallio computers. Specifically, it was the portion where Aumuna activated the barrier in order to repel the massive laser barrage. The other Brigade members leaned close, their eyes wide. It was the first time they'd actually seen the giant mecha in action.

"Yeah, the shield system," said Aumuna noncommittally. "With enough power, that thing can basically take anything you can throw at it. A bit like me, actually."

"We haven't tried _everything_ yet," said Kittan darkly.

"Now this is interesting!" Aumuna leaned forward, and her monster-sized assets rode up suggestively on the table. "Come on, cutie. Show me what you've got."

Kittan's face turned a shade of red similar to Gurren Lagann. Kiyal looked like she was about to blow a fuse.

"Leave them alone," said Sekiga with a sigh.

"Seki, you're _no fun_. Flirting with men is literally one-half of my existence!" All the same, she leaned back again and rested her hands on the back of her head. Not that it helped much; her top was still way too tight, _and_ completely failed to cover her midriff. Most of the men were making a point of not looking too closely at her.

"The shield system deploys from several drones that themselves deploy from the unit's back." Leeron clicked a button, and the relevant scene played. "These drones can assemble in a near-infinite variety of configurations, though the larger they spread out, the weaker the field gets. In addition, they aren't capable of covering the entire mecha in their field."

"Because every defense system needs a weakness!" Aumuna chuckled. "But really, as much as we tried, we couldn't quite get it perfect. Still, despite the massive power requirements and non-perfect coverage, it's probably the best defensive system in existence. Or was, anyway." The catwoman frowned suddenly, and added in a more subdued tone: "We can probably expect our enemies to have something like it, if not better."

"But protection isn't everything!" Leeron flipped yet another switch, and the scene changed to a scaled-down picture of Gilgamesh holding its sword. "This beauty has a full arsenal of weapons systems. More than I can even list here!"

"When in doubt, use more gun," said Aumuna with a smirk. "That was our design philosophy, at least. I've forgotten most of them, but highlights include arm-mounted high-yield rockets, shoulder-mounted guided missiles, leg-mounted pulse cannons, finger-mounted heavy machine guns, twin wrist-mounted energy blades, and a chest-mounted cyclical feedback high-energy beam cannon." Her ever-present grin only widened at the expressions of shock on her new teammates' faces. "Oh, and my personal favorite, the sword."

"Before you ask, yes, I've already begun studying them." The mechanic brushed his hair aside and smiled smugly. "Much of it is far beyond anything we've seen before. I'll have prototypes ready within a week for you guys to try out."

"Yeah, you've probably noticed that the grunt Ganmen don't get the best of weaponry." Aumuna's right ear twitched, and she crossed her arms thoughtfully. "Actually, that means you guys've been fighting with sub-standard equipment up 'till now."

"You mean the Spiral King had access to stuff like this?" Kittan looked positively disturbed.

"Should've. It's one hell of a miracle that you guys even got as far as you did. Maybe the old man was getting soft."

"We can talk about this later," interrupted Simon. "Aumuna, tell us about the sword."

She nodded obligingly. "Sure thing, chief. Funny thing is, there's not much to tell." She chuckled drily, and there was a hint of bitterness again. "That's one thing I never had a hand in. I basically said 'I want a sword' and she built me a sword. I try not to think too hard about how it works."

_She_. Simon filed this away for later. "Leeron, do you have any better idea?"

"Well, from what I can tell, it's capable of emitting a high-energy shockwave from the device into its core." The mechanic's face twisted in puzzlement. "Other than that, I'm having a hard time with it. If the Gilgamesh is, say, one or two generations ahead of us, then the sword is at least five. I'm not even sure if it's possible to understand it with the equipment we have."

"So like I said. Try not to think too hard about it." Aumuna spun idly in her chair. "So, that's my Gilgamesh. Thank you, I know it's awesome, try not to cream your pants too hard the next time we go into battle."

"Now for some other developments!" The screens blanked at Leeron's command, then relit with pictures of the various Enki derivatives they'd encountered

"Those bastards," hissed Kiyal through clenched teeth.

"As we have seen, Ribo has apparently acquired the means to mass-produce Enki-type units, as well as several related models." The Brigadiers shifted uncomfortably in their seats, muttering apprehensively. "And as you all already know, that includes the weapon that Aumuna informs me is the CPC, or the Charge Particle Cannon."

"It ain't fair!" Zorthy slammed a fist on the table and nearly sent his wheelchair rolling back into the wall. "The little bastards shouldn't have weapons like that when we don't! I mean, we've been outnumbered and outgunned before, but this is just overkill! If we had better weapons, then maybe the twins and I…"

"Welcome to _real_ war, buddy," said Aumuna flatly. "Fairness isn't an issue. Luckily for you, I can still remember bits and pieces of theory. Soon enough your mechanic friend will be outfitting you guys with the same equipment."

"Oh yes indeed! I'm already starting to make huge progress!" Diagrams and numbers and statistics surrounded them. "See?"

"Yeah, sorry Leeron, but we don't understand a thing," admitted Dayakka.

"That's all right!" The screens switched to photographs of the sword Makken had stolen from one of the knight-type Enkis. "Here, I'll explain a little better. This, darlings, is a sword."

"We can see that," muttered Kidd.

"But it's not just _any_ sword! Listen!"

On the screen the edges of the blade began to shimmer, and a high, piercing whine filled the air. The assembled Brigadiers all covered their ears in pain. Both the shimmering and the sound stopped momentarily.

"It's a vibroblade!" announced Leeron, cheerfully ignoring his teammates' pain.

"It was only a theory when I was captured," informed Aumuna. "Apparently _someone_ figured out a way of making it a reality."

"It's a very elegant design!" Leeron positively squirmed with delight. "I would really like to meet the one who created it~! I won't get into details, but this one will be rolling off the lines within a week for all you sword-loving men! But let's move on!"

The images switched yet again. This time, Gurren Lagann's mutated right arm flitted into view.

"This nifty darling that our little piloting duo acquired is, as Aumuna informs me, referred to as a High Energy Laser Cannon."

"Guess what it does," the catwoman commented sarcastically.

"The HELC requires more power than the CPC but is waaay more powerful!" He gestured with his arms to demonstrate, waving them enthusiastically. "Gurren Lagann's version is even more powerful, of course, but as usual I can't understand anything it does, so I'll be concentrating on outfitting the Dai-Gurren with the standard version."

"What about the shields?" asked Kiyal. "The ones that blocked Simon's attack. How about them?"

"Sorry, honey, but I wasn't able to retrieve any of them." Leeron looked crestfallen. "Oh, how I would've _loved_ to study that."

"I think that's it, isn't it Leeron?" interjected Aumuna suddenly.

"Yes it is, Aumuna dear!"

"So can I give them my own lecture now?"

"Sure, go ahead!" The mechanic gladly passed over the remote. Aumuna twirled it in her hand while her tail waved languorously.

"Now I'd like to give you all a discussion about geography. And tactics. And a couple other things." Her grin remained, but her eyes glinted with a more serious light. "Specifically, why everything went to hell for you."

"What would you know?" snapped Kiyal. "You just got here!"

"Sis has a point," added Kiyoh. "What could you know that we don't?"

"You forget that I was _very_ important around her fifty years ago. And on top of that, I was a general." The Beastwoman shook her head. "That's not the important part, though. This is all something you should've known, but didn't take into account. It wasn't your own fault, really, but that doesn't change things. What this will really affect is your future strategy."

"We smash right through with manly spirit!" said Kittan proudly. "Always works, always has, always will."

"No," said Aumuna sharply, shaking her head. "That won't work. And I'll explain why. But let me start with the beginning."

She pressed a button on the remote, and a large map blinked into life on one wall. It showed a couple of points: Jiha Village, the site of the battle with Dai-Gurren, the ocean, and Teppelin, among others. There was a line drawn showing a route between Jiha and Teppelin.

"This is your approximate path from your starting point to Teppelin," informed Aumuna, confirming their suspicions. "I think you'd agree that you didn't leave any Beastmen standing between the two points."

"We were pretty thorough," said Iraak with pride.

"All right. And on top of that, you got help from villages within a certain radius. I've made an approximation based on what Leeron's told me. Here it is."

The map zoomed out, showing a wide circle of red.

"I think we can agree that, for the most part, you controlled this area. Yes?"

"Get on with it," growled Kittan. "Where's this going?"

"Here." The map zoomed out even more, and suddenly they were looking at a great rotating globe, on which the dot of their controlled area was a tiny portion. "This is your problem."

"That's the world," said Iraak. "I saw it once. We had a model in our village."

"…It's huge!" said Kiyal and Kiyoh together.

"The Spiral King ruled an entire world." Aumuna grinned at them. "There were other, more scattered revolts, but for the most part they were quelled. There were a lot more Beastmen than you guys faced. Even if you kill the Emperor, there's still an Empire."

"So, what, we were doomed from the start even if we killed their leader?" Kittan snorted derisively. "Like hell!"

"No. Actually, I think you could have mopped them up on your own. Oh, it would've taken a couple of years to maybe a decade, and even then there would still be pockets of resistance, but you would've come out on top eventually." She shook her head. "No, the _real_ problem was that killing the Spiral King left a huge power vacuum, and someone had to fill it. If it had been some random Beastman lieutenant, there would have been no problem. But then-"

"Ribo showed up," finished Simon. His face was dark.

"Exactly." The catwoman nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds to me like he's a real character. Shows up from nowhere and claims to be the old man's son. I can personally vouch that he wasn't around fifty years ago, that's for certain. I think the old man was doing some research starting a couple decades before you guys happened. And this research took away your primary advantage." She pointed at Simon. "That'd be you."

"Gurren Lagann," he said understandingly.

"Exactly." She crossed her arms. "I'll try to keep things brief. Basically, a thousand years ago, there was a huge war between two races: the Spirals, and the Anti-Spirals."

"Um…what?" said Iraak, speaking for all of them.

"To be honest, I don't have all the details." Aumuna's tail flicked. "What I _do_ know is that the Spirals were gifted with this amazing ability called Spiral Power. I'm not entirely certain what the rules are, but a Spiral user is basically a source of unlimited potential energy." She nodded to Simon. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

"So that's what it's called." Simon grasped the little golden drill around his neck. "Spiral Power."

"Yup. Turns out humans are Spirals." The catwoman frowned. "Unfortunately, that was about as far as I got before I was found out, but I think you get the general picture. I think the old man was trying to create Spiral warriors before your little rebellion. That's why you suddenly have his son, Ribo, and his little Knight playmates."

"I remember fighting the Spiral King," said Simon. "Fighting the Knights was a lot like that. They weren't quite as powerful, but they're dangerous, and above all experienced."

"But you defeated the Spiral King!" protested Kiyal. "They can't possibly be a match for you!"

"Maybe, maybe not." Simon fingered the little golden drill carefully. "I caught the Spiral King off guard, remember. I'm not even entirely sure what happened that day. I think it's possible that any one of them might give me a hard time."

"And here's where we get into strategy," continued Aumuna, putting both hands on the table and leaning forward. "You can't rely on Simon to just bust through whatever's in your way. Not anymore, especially now that that Viral kid apparently has a Spiral-powered Ganman. All it takes is either him or one of the Knights to show up and keep Simon busy long enough for him to complete any objectives he wants, up to and including decimating every single one of you. And on top of that, we don't know how many more Knights or Spiral soldiers Ribo has. He might even be making _more_."

"So what?" Kittan slammed a fist on the table. "We're Dai-Gurren, dammit! Who gives a damn about impossible odds, anyway? We'll bust through and save the day!"

"Aw, you're so cute when you're riled up!" Aumuna's humour returned. "Sorry, hon, but it just doesn't work like that anymore. You've got to be careful now. I don't know if the old man was getting soft or what, but this Ribo kid is a hell of a lot more dangerous than anything you've seen before. He's ruthless, competent, _and_ powerful. Not generally a good combination."

"So what, then?" asked Simon. "You want us to sit back and do nothing?"

"Pffffft! Hell no!" said Aumuna, aghast. "I just say you should play it smart. Don't go after him head-on, like bowling straight for the capital like you did with Lordgenome. If you want to do that, I'll gladly give you my sword and you can kill yourselves now, save us all the time. Instead, try to slow him down. Target vulnerable but valuable assets. Hit hard, hit fast, and disappear. Maximum damage at minimum cost."

"I don't like it," grumbled Zorthy. "Looks to me like we'll be just dragging things out. This guy's got plenty of resources, remember. We fight like that, and we'll spend years making no progress at all. It'll be a war of attrition, and I don't think anyone wants that."

"Okay, sure. That's a valid complaint. Guess immortality's gone to my head." She bared her teeth at him. "Would you rather get blown up instead? Quick, and relatively painless. Assuming you die in the initial attack, anyway."

"We'll follow Aumuna's plan," stated Simon, ending the discussion. He looked about at them, care evident in his eyes. "I don't like having drag this war any longer, but I don't want to see any more of you die. There are some rocks you just can't break, so you drill around until you find a weakness."

"And when we find a weakness?" asked Kiyal.

"Then we'll strike right at Ribo and take him down for good." He stood. "Go get some rest, everyone. You all deserve it."

* * *

_New Teppelin; Kuroko's New Workshop_

"So what now?"

Yoko sat on her bed in the mechanic's workshop, holding her knees to her chest. Her eyes stared emptily out into space. She'd been like that ever since the tears had finally stopped.

"I don't know," she said flatly. "You're sure that they're alive?"

"I'm _quite_ certain." Kuroko spun in her chair, trying to hide the winces of pain that came from every movement. "You have to do something, you know. You can't just sit idly there forever."

"What am I _supposed_ to do?" countered the sniper bitterly. "It's not like I can do anything useful. I'm still trapped here. I still can't take down Ribo no matter what plan of attack I use. Frontal assault? Tried that one. Surprise attack? He'll probably know before I get within a hundred metres. Poison? He probably wouldn't even notice. What point is there in doing anything?"

"Hm." _Well, at least she's not trying to kill herself anymore._ "Maybe you're not looking at things the right way, Yoko. You're not the same you that you were anymore, you know."

Yoko chuckled drily at the comment and stared down at her right hand. Her eyes traced the blinking, pulsing green lines and hard metal edges of the device now permanently attached to her arm. It glowed softly at her in response.

"I've told you what it can do." Kuroko grinned at her newest pupil. "And who knows, maybe if you train with it, you might grow strong enough to give Ribo a run for his money!"

Yoko looked away from her hand and up at her self-proclaimed guardian angel. Her chin rested on her knee.

"This thing can help me fight, can it?" Yoko smiled wanly, the grin her first for days. "That sounds fun."

"Oh, it'll help you do _lots_ of things!" Kuroko sprang off of her chair, landing with catlike grace. To her credit, she barely even stumbled at the sudden, sharp burst of pain that ratcheted up her spine. "You just stick with me; I'm a great teacher! I've had plenty of practice after all!"

Yoko continued smiling, nodding her head. In her eyes, the tiny spark of hope relit.

_Oh God, please forgive me. Please forgive this girl._

* * *

Ribo leaned against the window pane, his face contorted into a vicious frown. Dekabutsu's corridor provided a beautifully tragic view of the ruins of Old Teppelin, and on another day he might have admired it, but today his gaze was empty. His breathing was slow and steady, but the set of his shoulders and the glint in his eye betrayed the raging turmoil beneath.

_Foolish._

It was the one word that could describe his actions. He'd been foolish. He could have crushed the Brigade on the first day. He _should_ have crushed them as soon as he'd learned of them. But no, he'd gone easy on them, tested them, waited to see how they'd react.

And now…

He growled deep in his throat and turned back down the hallway, his cape swishing behind him. Beastman and Nucleotype soldiers stepped to the side and saluted as he passed, wary of their king's temper. News had reached them of Kuroko's punishment, and they were not eager to repeat her mistake.

Perhaps he had been too hard on her, he reflected. Kuroko had been with him since birth, so naturally she'd presume to have more authority over him than reality dictated. She'd apologised in the end, and seemed to have learned her lesson.

Perhaps he should go down and apologise. No, he decided, there was too much to do for him to waste time on petty sympathies.

He came to an elevator and called it to him, and rode it to the top. By the time he had emerged in his father's former throne room, all thoughts of his subordinate had been replaced by deeper, darker ponderings.

The throne room was one of the locations he had designated to remain untouched. The scene was, presumably, exactly as it had been after his father's last battle; every crack, every broken shard of glass, every pebble remained as it was. In the centre hulked the broken remains of Lazengann, once his father's Ganman, now reduced to scrap.

He ran a hand over a beaten piece of armour, admiring its smooth black finish. Once upon a time, Lazengann had been the greatest of machines. Seeing it broken and wrecked only fueled his burning curiosity about his father.

"How did you do it?" he murmured softly. "How did you create the Empire, father? And how could you, the greatest of all men, lose it all?"

He pressed his face against the metal, feeling its cool surface against his cheek. "If I had your knowledge, I could be the greatest king to ever grace this Earth. I would be an Emperor of heaven itself."

He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words.

"I've made foolish mistakes, father. But Simon and his merry band of fools haven't won the war, not by any means. And once I have your knowledge…well, I will extinguish their lives like measly little candles."

He withdrew and stalked back towards the elevator, rubbing his hands. He had research to do.

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed. Next update will be either Never Alone(Naruto) or Darkmask(Pokemon).**

**Written by 1 over 0, edited by yours truly**


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